And So it Goes
by cthuloops
Summary: The tale of Gabriel Novak, a runaway without a family, and his life before and after meeting Samuel Winchester, a man with a big family and an even bigger heart. The story is told through flashbacks of Gabriel's troubled past, and journal entries containing details on falling in love and coping with a broken heart.
1. Prologue

_Gabriel was a runaway. He hauled ass out of Dodge when he was sixteen with nothing but a backpack full of clothes, books, and cheap canned food. His older brothers were insufferable. Frankly, if he was being entirely honest, the entire Novak Clan was insufferable. Daddy was a higher up in one of the most powerful companies in the world, and talk about daddy issues! Half of the Novaks weren't even full siblings. Cousins and half siblings and twice removeds. But they all called themselves Novak, because who wouldn't want to be tied to the richest man in the country, besides the president? It was disgusting._

_He was the youngest of the oldest, of the real Novaks. Real in the sense that the four of them all shared a mother and a father, when none of their other siblings or close family members did. But Gabriel had never truly been close to any of them, or their father, primarily because shortly after he was born, Mr. Novak became somewhat non-existent in his children's lives. He was much too busy with work. He lived through his work._

_Michael was the eldest. He raised the second eldest, Lucifer, by himself, as their mother had distanced herself away from her children, and daddy's pride and joy was Michael. Anyone else after him wasn't usually given a second thought. Raphael was born not very long after. Lucifer had always been jealous of the fact that if dad had to pick favorites, the list would go Michael, and then Raphael._

_This was partially due to the fact that Michael and Raphael had taken it in stride that their parents were getting a divorce and they would now be forced to live with a string of half-siblings, cousins, and other Novaks that could hardly be considered 'family'. Lucifer's reaction was less than savory. Gabriel still had nightmares, even at twenty-seven years old, about the screaming and the shouting and the throwing of things. Lucifer had a full-on rebellion, and hadn't been seen since his 21__st__ birthday._

_That all lead up to Gabriel's own departure. Lucifer made him an offer._

_"Come live with me, brother. I raised you when Mike and Raph were too busy kissing daddy's ass to pay attention. I love you. Please leave with me."_

_Gabriel hadn't and Lucifer shook his head sadly as he walked out the door. It broke Gabe's heart because he knew that Lucifer was right. Family was family, however, and the littlest Novak couldn't just leave his two older brothers._

_In the end, that is exactly what he did, and his heart ached with regret for turning down Lucifer's offer._

_Within a week of Lucifer leaving the nest, Michael and Raphael praised (If that was even the correct word) Gabriel. They chittered about Lucifer, their words cruel and dark, and Gabriel couldn't take it anymore. Even with Lucifer gone, they just couldn't let him be. And Gabriel knew that it would be the same once he was gone._

_Talk about daddy issues._


	2. Oct 21- Nov 7

**October 21**

_I started seeing a therapist today. My job at the bakery pays well, and I get pretty good health insurance, so it wasn't too hard. I guess I was reluctant at first. They told me to start a journal but I don't know what im supposed to write. They told me my dependency on sarcasm and jokes and I guess food is because of my "troubled past". I beg to differ, I just think im hilarious. My therapist does not._

_I guess I should write down some things about me, but this journal is for me and my therapist only, and I know everything I need to know about me, and they know what I want them to know, so whats the point? If I get amnesia, I guess. But there isn't a huge chance of that happening._

_I still don't know what im supposed to write in this stupid journal._

**October 28**

_My therapist told me that I should write in my journal daily, but I still don't see the point. My days really aren't that eventful, I promise. Nothing they would care about, anyway. But every week they make me tell them what I did, in detail. It's a little creepy._

_ Today, though, I went to work. I work morning shifts at a bakery in my town. It's in the historic part, so there are plenty of people and other shops to visit on break or afterwork. I wouldn't say I have an addiction to food, but it's my passion and sugar is my biggest downfall._

_ Im not fat though. Im a pretty outgoing person so I go out and do physical things and that keeps my weight down. I take good care of my teeth too._

**November 4**

****_So my therapist is getting frustrated with me, and ive only seen them three times. They told me if I have nothing interesting to write I should just write whatever comes to mind, but the thing is im either busy or just don't feel like writing anything. When I told them that, they told me to write letters to people._

_ No thanks._

**November 7**

****_A man came into my work today. I guess first I should let it be known that I'm very flexible with my sexuality. Guys, gals, somewhere in between. Whoever looks the prettiest_

_ He stood out. Almost a foot taller than me and till taller than most of the normal height customers we got in. Im a pretty easy going guy so at least I didn't explode or spontaneously combust because of how attractive he was._

_ He came up to me and smiled and he had such a nice smile. He wanted a cake for his brothers birthday, in January. It's good he came to early, and I told him that, because around the holidays we get asked to do a shit ton of cakes and specialty bakery items so we get busy._

_ I asked him what kind of cake he wanted, you know, the usual. I think I stared a little too hard, but he either didn't notice or didn't care, because his smile didn't go away and he didn't look away or anything. His eyes were weird. They were brown and blue and green and grey all at once. It was nice._

_ I hope he comes back before January. It would be nice to get to know him, maybe._


	3. In Every Heart There is a Room

The morning of November 7th, Samuel Winchester made a call to his friend Charlie. They had just begun planning Dean's, Sam's brother, surprise birthday party. This had to be a special one; Dean had just left his long-time girlfriend Lisa and her son Ben, and moved back in with Sam. Sam wanted to make him as comfortable as possible.

"You know, there's this great bakery on Main Street." Charlie said, sounding bored. "My friend got these great cupcakes there for her party a few weeks ago. They make cakes and bread and sometimes candy, too."

"What about the pricing?" Sam worried almost constantly about his funds. Dean had a hard time keeping work on account of sometimes he was an asshole, and sometimes he couldn't deal with other people being assholes, and Sam worked at a bar.

"Reasonable, I think." There was a rustling from her end, and then the clicking of keys. "Oh, here it is. It's called "Graceless." That's a weird name. My friend told me that she had to order a month in advance, because they get super busy and booked sometimes. Anyway, it's on-"

"Wait, let me grab a pen." Sam got up out of his chair and rummaged around until he was able to find a pen that still had ink in it, and flipped over the back of a receipt. "Shoot."

"3451 Main Street. Uhhh. Cakes are like $25 for a simple one, I guess. So yeah, reasonable." Charlie paused. "Don't you think he'd rather have a pie, though?"

Sam chuckled. Of course he had thought about that.

"Don't worry, I already have that covered. The cake is for everyone else." He heard Charlie laugh on the other end, and the two said their goodbyes. Dean was still asleep in his bedroom, so Sam seized the opportunity to grab a jacket and head out to place an order with the "Graceless" Bakery.

Charlie was right. That sure was a weird name.

The air bit at his nose as Sam walked out into the daylight. He waved a silent hello to their neighbor and her dog, which she wasn't supposed to have but kept anyway. It hadn't begun to snow, but it was starting to feel as though the first fall would be any day now.

Large shoes scuffed the ground, and Sam absentmindedly focused on the sound with his eyes to the ground. He knew the way to Main Street from the apartment, and it was too busy on the roads to borrow Dean's car. Besides, his older brother would probably murder him for touching the Impala.

"Well howdy, Sam!" A voice called out from under the canopy of one of the shops. Sam looked up with wide eyes, his expression warming when he saw that it was only Ellen Harvelle. She owned one of the best burger joints in the town, and Dean would agree.

Ellen and her daughter, Jo, were among the first people to meet the Winchesters when they moved to town. She had been an old friend of their Uncle Bobby's, so it was only natural that they were like family to them.

Jo was also the first person Sam told that he was gay. Dean of course, had been the second, but Jo found out on her own, and all Sam needed to do was admit it.

He waved hello to her as she put up a sign advertising a new kind of burger, something to do with turkey. Of course. It was almost Thanksgiving. Everything was going to be all turkey and family and warmth the month of November.

Sam continued walking and made a left onto Main Street. He shivered under his jacket, maneuvering through the river of people he encountered upon turning up the street. They trickled out onto the sidestreets, some hopping on bikes and others leaping into the warm insides of their cars.

Graceless was an unremarkable building, but it was beautiful and elegant in its own way. The name was printed in white cursive on the front window. Behind the glass, wicker baskets of mummified foodstuffs sat on display. Sam couldn't help but admire the handiwork and detail on some of the cookies they had set out.

A bell rang when he opened the door. The overpowering scent of vanilla and sugar almost knocked him over, but it was definitely welcome, and Sam took a deep breath once he was inside.

The shop was smaller than he expected, and Charlie was right. They were busy. Luckily for Sam, he was at least a good half foot taller than the rest, so all he had to do was start walking and people let him through.

A short man at the counter, with dark honey-blonde hair, caught his attention. It seemed that Sam had caught his as well, because he noticed the blonde fellow was staring at him with a goofy smirk plastered onto his face.

Sam couldn't help but smile as he approached the man, who was much shorter than just about everyone else in the shop.

"Hey, I'm looking to buy a cake." Sam began, peering over the counter to see if any looked nice and cheap enough to bring home to Dean. "My brother's birthday is in January, and I heard you guys were good."

"Came to the right place, kiddo. What exactly are you looking for?" The way that the man, whose nametag indicated his name was Gabriel, called him kiddo made Sam's back tingle. No one, not even is older brother, called him back. The way it rolled off of Gabriel's tongue sounded foreign, as if it wasn't a real word at all, but something made up on the spot.

Sam kind of wanted him to say it again.

"Something relatively cheap. We have a few friends coming over."

"How many?" Gabriel had brought out a form and slid it over to Sam along with a little pen, the words "Graceless Bakery and Confectionary" printed neatly onto it. It was funny how the shop worker hadn't broken his gaze away from Sam, but Sam didn't mind.

"Uh…" Sam counted on his fingers quickly. "Between fifteen and twenty." He knew it was unlikely that everyone they invited to the community center would come, but a majority of them would. Family was important to the Winchesters, and their friends

Gabriel held up a finger and bustled over to the side. He hoisted up a large cake-book and dropped it down hard onto the counter.

"Good thing you came early. We're pretty busy during the holiday's, as you can see." Sam just smiled wider and nodded. Gabriel had been referring to the morning rush that seemed to overtake the store.

"Alright, here we go." Gabriel flipped to the middle of the huge cake book, backtracking a few pages and turning it over to give Sam a better look at the picture. "For a party your size, this would be the cheapest cake we have."

Sam nodded, glancing down at the cake. Dean wouldn't care what the cake looked like, nor would anyone else at the party. The taste was the only thing that mattered. The cake was plain white with a simple red gel border. Nothing special, just like they liked.

"How much would that be with, I dunno, regular cake and some of that weird cherry filling?" Sam worried his wallet inside of his back pocket.

"Cherry? That's around $27." Gabe gave him a smile when he saw Sam's face tighten a little. "But hey, you seem like a nice guy. Maybe I'll sneak in an employee discount, say it's for me." Gabriel's voice was hushed and he leaned in closer to Sam, causing him to shiver.

"No, no, it's really fine." Sam gushed out. He busied himself with the cake form, filling out all of his information to hide the blush that was rising to his cheeks from Gabriel. "That's still a nice price compared to other places." He remarked.

Gabriel watching Sam scrawl out his name, not able to make out the messy lettering under the taller man's shadow. He figured he would be able to look at it later, when he was baking Sam's brother's cake.

Once Sam had finished, he looked back up from the blindingly pink form to Gabe. He was glad to see that Gabriel didn't stop smiling, or looking at him. Sam made note of how much he loved Gabe's eyes. They were the perfect shade of light brown, and seemed to glow.

"Well, I guess that's all." Sam managed to choke out. He scrambled for his wallet to pay and was careful that his fingers didn't brush Gabriel's as he handed over the cash.

"Just come pick it up the 23rd or 24th. I'll give you a ring when it's ready." A hand was extended, and the two shook slowly. Sam almost thought he saw Gabriel wink at him, but it must have just been the trick of the light. "It was nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too, Gabriel." Oh, that word felt so soft on his tongue, and he waved a goodbye as he walked out the door, his grin wider than ever when he heard the bell of the front door jingle when he exited.

If anything was for certain, it was that he would definitely need to keep an eye out for Gabriel, and that he would definitely be back before January.


	4. Nov 10- Nov 28

**November 10**

_His name is Sam._

_ He came in today when I was in the back room, but I could see him on the monitors. Im a little ashamed to say I got excited. The dude just ordered a cake from me, maybe he needed something else. I waited for a second to find out what he was doing, but he just wandered around like a lost puppy._

_ I went out and greeted him and there was that damn smile again and I swear to you I melted a little bit. He didn't really want anything but we talked for a few minutes. He knew my name, so I asked his._

_ It's Sam. That's such a nice name._

_ Sam bought a few pies and told me he would definitely be back for more. I cant tell if he's talking about me or the pie. But who eats three pies in a day, besides me? I don't know anyone. Maybe his brother likes pie, too._

**November 16**

_Sam finally came in again today. I was starting to miss the kid, honestly. Hes a friendly paying customer, what can I say? I think I acted a little too excited- I knocked over a chocolate display and my boss handed my ass to me on a silver platter. At least Sam spared me some humiliation by helping me clean it up._

_ It was later in the day when he showed up, and I guess maybe he showed up earlier. I picked up the closing shift today, and he told me he came in here earlier but I wasn't there and that's so soppy and cute but I felt weirdly flattered. He went out of his way to come and see me just for the sake of seeing me. Who wouldn't adore that?_

_ It was a ghost town in the shop today too, so I had all the time in the world to sit and chat. I found out his favorite candy are those roll ups with sour sugar on them. I pulled some fresh ones from the back. The way he packs them away like a squirrel was amusing to say the least._

_ His brother's name is Dean. "Sam and Dean Winchester" he said. I told him Winchester was a funny last name, and he agreed with me._

_ He said Novak wasn't any better._

**November 17**

_I keep forgetting that people can use google._

_ Sam stormed in today while I was in the middle of a sale and asked if I really was a Novak, and I had to tell him to come see me around back so he didn't disturb the other customers._

_ He wasn't angry or anything. I mean, why would he be? We just met. I guess he was more surprised. He asked me why I was working at a bakery/confectionery instead of with the rest of my entire family (save Lucifer, but he didn't need to know that) at the business._

_ I told him it was because I have a different passion, but that's only partially true. He nodded and told me that it was the same way with his father, but I don't think he really understood. That's alright, he doesn't need to. Not yet._

_ He asked about my family, but I wasn't sure how to reply. I asked him what he wanted to know, and he asked about siblings. I didn't mean to laugh, really. I didn't. but it was hilarious._

_ I told him I had thirteen siblings, give or take. He looked surprised, but I explained that most were half-siblings or cousins, but dad would tell us that we're all still siblings. Sam thought that was heartwarming._

_ He doesn't know I ran away when I was a teenager. He doesn't need to know that yet, either._

**November 20**

_ Sam bought me pizza on my break. We sat in the back room and ate in silence. It's become a regular thing. He comes to see me a few times a week, we talk, laugh, and then he leaves. I'd ask his number but im not sure how interested in me he is. Plus, hes still a great friend._

_ He decided to tell me about his family. His mother died in a house fire, and his dad went AWOL a few years back. He didn't seem sad about it. He said his Uncle Bobby (Who owns the place where I go to get my car fixed, go figure) was a great father to them._

_ He told me he has two brothers. Dean is the one whose birthday is in January. Adam is the other ones name, but they don't talk much. Adam showed up, he told me, right after their dad disappeared._

_ Sam talked about so many people, and I just listened. I wanted to interrupt and make jokes, or ask questions, but if there was one person whose opinion I even remotely cared about, it would be his. So I let him talk. Names flew every where and I didn't catch all of them_

_ He came from a huge family, even if they weren't all related. It made me a little happy._

_ A little jealous._

**November 21**

_Sam asked for my number today._

_ It was cute, because he seemed both confident and confused and nervous all at once. His funny colored eyes twitched a lot_

_ I'm starting to notice a lot of really small things about him that I like. He pulls a ton of different hilarious faces and sometimes I have to catch myself before laughing at him. He can also be pretty clumsy, but that's okay too._

_ Hes a health nut, I learned. He does like candy sometimes but he mainly eats his fruits and veggies. Not that it's a problem._

_ Im almost completely convinced hes queer now, but a guy can only hope haha._

_ Im still waiting for him to call or text me. I hope he does before I see him tomorrow, if he even comes._

**November 24**

_Sam told me he would like me to come to a small thanksgiving gathering they were having. I felt bad for saying no, but he kept pestering me about it. He told me that he felt guilty for leaving me all alone on thanksgiving, and I asked him why. He didn't answer._

_ My family didn't celebrate holidays. I know what thanksgiving entails, but am I supposed to bring something?_

_ Apparently Sam told Dean about me, because Sam told me that Dean requested for me to bring three pies. This makes me smile._

_ Reading back on these journal entries makes me feel like a fifteen year old girl._

**November 28**

_ I have had a long week._

_ Sam came in with Dean on Tuesday. His brother is handsome too, though not as tall. I like Sam's hair better, though. Dean thanked me for the pies, and requested pumpkin, apple, and pecan for thanksgiving. They asked that if I have any ideas or requests to let them know and they'll be glad to accommodate._

_ It's like they've taken me under their wing so quickly. It's weirdly comfortable, too. Sometimes I wonder what the hell im doing. Like, is this a relationship we've got going on? Is he just really awesome and super friendly? Either way, im okay with that._

_ Sam picked me up after work at 1pm. I was nervous at first, because I didn't know how to act in someone elses car. But he played some music and smiled and glanced at me a lot, so I calmed down quickly._

_ He warned me that we were heading out of the city for thanksgiving. He also told me he hoped I packed a bag. I had, because Dean had told me to when I first met him, but I wasn't sure why until we pulled up to this beautiful house out in the more suburban area of the town._

_ I met Bobby Singer, Ellen Harvelle, Ash Miles, and Charlie Bradbury. They seemed nice enough. I learned that this was Ellen's house, that she shared with her daughter Jo, who was over at her own boyfriends house. Ash lived there with them, because Ellen thought of him as her son._

_ I helped in the kitchen, mostly, with Ellen and Charlie. They seemed really excited to meet me, so I wasn't sure what Sam was whispering about me behind my back but at least it was all of the good and none of the bad._

_ No one said grace when we sat down, and I quietly thanked them for that. Not out loud. Religion was huge with dad, so I remained faithless since I left._

_ My seat was conveniently next to Sam's, in between him and Charlie. I sat back and listened to them all tell stories and laugh. Sometimes I laughed too._

_ But honestly it was all becoming overwhelming. I missed my brothers for the first time in years. I had to excuse myself to go cry in the bathroom._

_ Sam caught me after dessert and told me he was sorry if they were making me uncomfortable, and offered to take me home. I didn't want to seem ungrateful, so I told him I was fine. We watched a few movies before Bobby and Ellen both went to sleep. Ash was the next to go, then Dean. Charlie, Sam and I stayed up well past when we were supposed to, but it was nice._

_ No talk of family, just the three of us and a bowl of candy._

_ Charlie went to sleep before I did, so Sam and I were left alone in the room._

_ He asked me if I was gay, and I told him 'sort of'. Which is the truth._

_ I think he understood, because he didn't move away from me or say "oh" like he was disappointed. He had this goofy sideways grin on his face and In all honesty, I wanted to kiss him._

_ I told him I was tired, and before I went to sleep he hugged me. I hugged him back of course. He smelled good, like pinecones and shampoo._

_ Im going to go to sleep now. The guest room is cozy._

_ My life has changed so much already._


	5. A Sanctuary Safe and Strong

"You totally need to get his number."

Sam was on the phone with Charlie again, five minutes after returning home that first day of meeting Gabriel. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about the little baker man for some reason. Gabriel was a professional, he hadn't been flirting by staring to long or smiling too hard.

Right?

"If I go back to soon, don't you think that would seem a little-"

"Desperate?" Sam was interrupted by a giggling Charlie. He smiled into his cell phone.

Dean had just managed to roll himself out of bed and was making himself a nice Irish coffee . He hadn't bothered asking Sam who he was on the phone with, or what they were talking about. Dean really didn't care.

"Yeah, desperate is a good word." Sam replied as he waved good morning to Dean, who only tilted his head up in reply.

Sam cringed when he saw how sad and pathetic Dean looked. Not that broody wasn't normally his brothers style, but he just seemed even more so after his terrible break up. Sam knew that feeling. His girlfriend of a few years Jess broke up with him a little over a year ago, before he found out he was gay. He was a wreck just like Dean was.

"Big brother awake yet?" There was worry in Charlie's voice. She was like a little sister to the Winchesters, and worried constantly about the both of them. It was Dean's turn to be fretted over. Sam had just met a boy, after all.

"Yep, already getting his drink on." Muttered Sam with his mouth close to the receiver. Dean would throw a fit if he heard Sam talking about him.

"Not surprised. Maybe I should come over, we could all go out and see a movie or something."

"Yeah, right. Like Dean would leave the house just for The Hobbit." Sam joked. He knew it was one of Charlie's favorite movies

"Hey!" Charlie's voice rose in defense. "I'll have you know I've seen that movie five times already and it just gets better and better."

Charlie insisted she at least come over to hang out, and Sam agreed. Dean wasn't entirely pleased with his little brother making plans without him, but it was Charlie, and he could never say no to Charlie. They went out around the town, just to get Dean away from his bed and booze for a while

Sam felt a nudge on his side as they passed Graceless. He hadn't realized they were there. Charlie looked up with questioning eyes, and Sam just blushed and nodded as they walked past. Dean didn't notice.

Three days later, Charlie managed to push Sam into going back to the bakery before he went off to work.

"Dude, you're totally going to regret it if you don't, I'm telling you." Charlie was back on the phone, having spent the night and gone home the day earlier.

"Alright, alright! I'm going." Sam sounded annoyed but he was glad that someone made him do it. He did want to see Gabriel again. But he would need a reason to head over there that wasn't as obvious as just going there to see the man.

"Dean!" He called out to his brother, who was blasting Metallica and surfing the internet for jobs. At least he wasn't still in bed.

"What?" Dean shouted back over his music.

"Picking up some pie!"

Dean didn't respond. The music shut off quickly and soon Dean was stumbling out of his room, pulling a shirt over his head and buttoning his jeans.

"You never get me pie." Dean eyed his brother suspiciously, and all Sam could do was give him a small smile and shrug. "Where are you really going and why are you lying to me?"

It took a few minutes for Dean to believe that Sam really was heading to the bakery for pie, but that didn't ease his worry. Sam knew that Dean knew him too well to believe that was the only reason he was heading out.

No way he was about to tell Dean about Gabriel, not yet. He could deal with the teasing later but he was too nervous to endure it now.

After pulling on a sweater and some shoes, Sam was out the door and up the street, standing in front of "Graceless". He peered inside and past the customers saw a cashier.

But it wasn't Gabriel. Just a very normal looking girl with her hair tied back.

There was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Today was probably Gabriel's day off, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to muster up enough courage to try this again. He didn't have any other choice but to go inside, because now he had to. He promised Dean food, and if he didn't come back with food, there would be hell to pay.

The bell on the door didn't seem as cheery as it did the first time, and Sam forced a smile to the girl at the register. Graceless was much less packed, but still sitting on the edge of normal and busy. And Gabriel was still nowhere to be found.

All that was left to do was wander around looking for the pie. One would think it would be placed on a nice stand for all to see, but the pies seemed to be hidden from sight. Sam picked up a few things, acting as though he wasn't lost and confused.

"Well hey there, kiddo! Back so soon?"

Sam pretended he didn't just feel his heart leap into his throat, but it did and he began to blush as he looked up from a huge chocolate heart sucker to see Gabriel, hair in disarray and wearing a dirty apron.

All in all, he looked absolutely adorable.

Gabriel walked over from the curtains that led to the back and towards the counter, leaning on his elbows and smiling at Sam.

"You forget something?" Sam shook his head, and some of his hair managed to fall into his eyes. Gabriel just continued to smile and stare, which made Sam grin wide too. He pushed his hair back with his hand and chuckled.

"No, no. I uh…" Sam looked behind him to find something to buy. His eyes finally found the pie and he felt his face burn red. It had been in front of him that whole time.

"Pie. Had to pick up some pie." He picked up three and sat them on the counter in between Gabriel and himself. Sam ignored the fact that it looked like Gabriel was trying not to laugh at him.

"Good choice." Gabriel said as he rang him up at the register. "I've always been partial to chocolate myself, but pie is great too."

"Yeah." Sam managed out a chuckle, though it came out more of a squeaky giggle than anything. He tried not to look embarrassed as he handed money to Gabriel, taking the bag of pie in return.

"So, what do they call you?"

Sam was caught by surprise. He hadn't expected Gabriel to ask that question, although what had he expected? He did want Gabriel to like him, after all. The only smart thing to do was learn eachothers names in a proper manner.

"Sam. I'm Sam." Gabriel held out a hand and smirked when Sam wiped the sweat off of his own to shake. Gabriel's hand was no doubt smaller than his, but it was also gentler. His skin was softer and his touch was lighter, and Sam couldn't help but think that it balanced out his calloused fingers and tight grip perfectly.

"Well, thanks for the pie." Sam held up the bag and gave Gabriel a wave. "I'll definitely be back for more."

Gabriel gave him a small wave back, and as Sam was walking out the door, he couldn't help but think that he didn't just mean he'd be back for more pie, but more Gabe as well.

* * *

Over the next six days, Sam managed to let slip to Dean that he met a guy. Dean wasn't exactly thrilled, but at least he was teasing his junior, which was a good sign.

"You should invite him over for Thanksgiving." Dean had brought up thanksgiving several times over that past week, and Charlie was the one that suggested Gabriel accompany them.

Sam argued back that he had only just met the guy, and he hardly knew him, but there was no way Charlie was taking 'no' for an answer. He had a feeling if he didn't ask Gabriel, she would go down to the shop and do it herself.

November 16th was one of Sam's days off, so he slipped on his coat and tried to keep a slow pace as he walked into Graceless. Gabriel, again, wasn't there, but he had been in the back before. Sam asked the girl at the register if he was there.

"No, sorry." She shrugged. "He took the evening shift today."

Sam thanked her quietly and made his trek back home with a heavy heart. He thought that perhaps Gabriel changed shifts so he wouldn't have to see Sam. Was he already weirded out by the fact that the Winchester came to see him once?

Charlie, who had taken to calling Sam every day and ask about the greatest love affair of the century, urged him to go back around 5pm to check and see if he was there.

"I'm not a stalker, Charlie." Sighed Sam with his forehead resting on his desk.

"It isn't a stalker move! It's…" Charlie paused, and then sighed too. "Okay, it's a little stalkerish. But you like this guy. How long has it been since you liked a guy?"

"How long has it been since you liked a girl?" Sam's retort came out sharper than intended, but at least Charlie was understanding about it.

"Comic-Con." This made Sam laugh, and he could hear the smile in Charlie's voice as she continued. "Just go there and start a conversation! If he acts uncomfortable, don't go back. If he engages in conversation with you, you're golden, Ponyboy!"

Sam just shook his head at her, though she couldn't see him.

"When did you start playing matchmaker?" He teased her as he was getting his shoes on.

"When I realized both of you sucked at dating." She teased back before hanging up. Sam knew she was joking, but there was also some truth. They did suck at dating. Dean couldn't keep a girl, and Sam was just awkward sometimes.

Five rolled around and Dean had to push Sam out the door, clearly with instructions from Charlie. It was much appreciated, because his legs felt like jello as he was walking through Graceless' door and hearing the bell. He knew if it wasn't for the two of them, he would never had gotten up out of his chair.

"Sam!" Gabriel exclaimed when he caught sight of the giant entering the shop. He was still covered in mess, though a new mess than from before. This time it looked like glittery sprinkles and flour.

"Hey, Gabe." Sam cringed at Gabriel when the shorter man stepped forward too eagerly and knocked over an entire almost-Sam-high display of chocolates of different varieties.

"Damn it." Gabriel muttered, and Sam saw that his face was pink with embarrassment, so he stooped down and began to help him clean up the mess.

The store was surprisingly empty, especially since most of the other people around the area were just getting off work, and there was generally a 5 o'clock rush. But there stood just the two of them, cleaning up chocolate and decorated holiday boxed off of the floor, alone.

"Bossman is going to kill me." Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes darted around uneasily.

"Don't worry, it looks as good as new." They stepped back to admire their handiwork and Sam almost laughed at how bad they put the tower back together. It was lopsided and the colors didn't look right and there was still some chocolate smears on everything.

No way Gabriel was going to leave it like that.

But there wasn't time to worry about that now. He had a tall, pretty boy standing in front of him. Chocolate displays could wait, something he thought he would never say.

"I came here earlier to talk to you, but that one girl said you would be here late today." Sam surprised himself with how forward he was, but Gabriel didn't seem to mind. There was that stupid smirk on his face that Sam realized he both enjoyed thoroughly and hated with a passion.

"That's sweet, Samsquatch." There was a hint of sarcasm in Gabriel's voice as he watched Sam's face for any kind of reaction to the nickname he had just made up. Nothing negative, as Sam just scoffed playfully and shook his head.

"What can I do for you?" Gabriel took his place back behind the counter, and Sam hated the distance between them once again. He didn't say this out loud.

Sam looked anxiously from Gabe to his hands, that were resting on top of the glass counter below him. He had no idea what to say, and after admitting he came here specifically to see Gabriel, he had to come up with some excuse for it.

"Dean." Is what came out of his mouth.

"Sure." Gabriel replied, confused. How else was one supposed to respond to that?

"No, I mean-" Sam stumbled on his words for a second before taking in a breath and composing himself. "My brother- His name is Dean. I don't think I put that on the cake form. I want his name on the cake."

"Oh!" Gabriel chuckled as he went to the back room, returning moments later with Sam's cake sheet. "Well, you should write that down for me. Hey-" he paused after handing Sam a pen. "Do you want something to eat? I mean, we've got plenty."

It was odd for someone that worked in a bakery to just offer someone something to eat instead of having said person buy it, but Sam wasn't complaining. He just nodded his head while bent over the form.

"If you have sour rolls, I may just have to buy in bulk." Sam looked up when he heard Gabriel laugh, and wanted to tell him he wasn't joking, but before he could even open his mouth, Gabe was in the back room and then back in a matter of seconds, holding out a small box full of the candy Sam had been asking about.

"My hero." Muttered Sam before delving into the wonderful world of sweet and sour and disgustingly chewy goodness. He didn't even notice now ravenous he must have been until he caught Gabriel staring at him.

"Oh god-" Sam choked down what he had already had chewed in his mouth, and slid the box back to Gabe. "I'm so, so sorry. I don't usually eat candy but it's a treat when I do and-"

"You're alright bucko, no need to apologize!" Gabe made a point of opening a neon colored sucker that seemed too big for his mouth and popped it in his piehole. While Sam was indulging in a guilty pleasure, he had taken a peek at the form.

"Your last name is Winchester? Like, the guns?"

"No. Well, yes, but not in any relation to those guys." Sam laughed and wiped his mouth with his sleeve, leaving bits of sugar crystals sticking to his jacket.

"That's a weird name."

Sam pretended to be offended.

"Oh yeah? What's yours?"

Gabriel stopped for a second and debated on if he should really tell Sam or not. Novak was the name of his father, the name of the company. Sam seemed incredibly book smart, so it wouldn't be surprising if he noticed the last name on the spot.

"Novak."

"That's weird too." Sam smirked down at him, apparently not noticing that Gabriel shared a name with one of the most powerful men on earth. Gabe was happy about that.

"Listen, I hate to shoo you out like this but the boss will actually kill me if I don't fix that display and I don't need you getting caught in the middle of the shit-storm." Gabriel did sound reluctant to end their conversation so abruptly, but Sam didn't mind. He understood.

"I'll see you around, Sammy." Sam ignored the flipping thing his stomach had started to do when Gabe used the nickname Dean had given him. He would normally correct anyone, tell them it was just 'Sam', but not Gabe. Gabe was an exception.

"Don't worry, I'll be back." He called the promise over his shoulder and thought to himself how lucky he was to have ever met Gabriel.

* * *

_"He's a fucking Novak, Sam. A NOVAK. Do you have any idea what this means!?"_

Charlie called him as soon as he texted her the next morning, telling her what he had learned about Gabriel. It took a second for the name to register in his head, but when it did, he was just as shocked as she was.

"Charlie, deep breath." He waited to continue after he could hear Charlie steady her breathing to a normal rate. "I know, though. He's related tothe Jehovah Novak. Why is he working at a little bakery on Main?"

"If you don't get into his pants, I will judge you so hard." Sam snorted into his drink, almost choking. He could hear Charlie cackling on the other end, but he knew she was serious. He had wanted to get into Gabriel's pants before learning he was from a powerful family, though, so there was that.

"I'm about to head over there now and ask him about it. Is that weird?"

"Absolutely." Sam frowned at her reply. "But you should do it anyway."

Charlie wished him luck and he hung up the phone, prodding Dean awake and filling him in on everything that was going on. He only mumbled something about not caring and rolled over onto his side.

When Sam walked into Graceless, he may have done it in more of an accusatory fashion, because Gabriel became suddenly defensive and told him to give him a second to explain. After he finished with a customer, Gabriel gestured for Sam to join him in the back room, where they kept all of their supplies and equipment.

"Gabriel, a Novak?" Sams tone came out sharper and harsher than he meant it. He was merely surprised that someone as down to earth, easy going, and charming as Gabriel would be a Novak.

"Yes, a Novak. Of the Novak's. "

"Why are you working in a bakery?" Sam hoped he wasn't prying too much, and could tell from the suddenly dark look on Gabriel's face that perhaps he had asked the wrong type of question. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Gabriel spoke before him.

"Different… passions, I guess." Came his reply, though Sam thought it sounded forced. Sam nodded and took a seat in the folding chair next to the one that Gabriel had sat upon.

"Yeah, I get it. I do. It's kind of the same with my family." He was, of course, talking about the disagreements with his father. His dad was a mechanic from a long line of mechanics, and when Sam went to law school, one would think John Winchester would have been proud. He was pissed, to say the least. After John's disappearance, Sam dropped out of school and started working at the only bar that would hire him.

Gabriel flashed him a sad smile and nodded.

"So, what about your family?"

"What about them?"

"I don't know." Sam thought about Dean for a brief moment, and turned his head to face the other man. "Siblings? I heard the Novaks are a huge clan."

Gabriel nodded again, but refused to let his eyes meet Sam's. He almost started laughing, and tried to hide it. Sam wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for the snorting chuckle he let out.

"Thirteen, Sammy. There are thirteen of us. Give or take."

"Jesus Christ, Gabe! Thirteen siblings?" Sam cracked a smile, but Gabriel shook his head fast.

"I said give or take. Really, most of us aren't even that closely related. Everyone is just somehow tied to dad." Gabriel cleared his throat. "He told us we should all consider eachother siblings."

"Well, that's great. You must have a huge family. It's…heartwarming." Sam laughed, not noticing the pained look on Gabriel's face when he just nodded in agreement.

The two said their goodbyes after a few more minutes, when Gabriel's boss barked at him that he wasn't on break. Sam waved and promised to be back soon, and he would buy Gabriel pizza. It was an odd thing to say but Gabriel didn't mind.

He wanted to see more of Sam, and Sam wanted to see more of him, and they were both perfectly content with that

* * *

Three days passed, and for once Dean was finally awake before Sam left to go see Gabriel.

"Hows your boyfriend doing?" He asked when he got out of the shower, just catching Sam pulling on his jeans.

"He isn't my boyfriend." Sam rolled his eyes but he did like the sound of it, and silently hoped that maybe one day, Gabe would be his boyfriend. He was nice.

"Yet." Dean made a point of raising his beer as something of a 'cheers' to Sam before locking himself back in his bedroom to do only god knows what. Sam hoped he was still job searching, but he wasn't going to pressure him. Not yet.

"Ellen, Ash. Are we still invited to Thanksgiving?" Sam called as he walked into the Roadhouse, the town's favorite burger joint right off of Main. He could hear Ash singing terribly from behind the grill, his mullet up in a hairnet.

"Of course, unless you were thinking of making other plans." Ellen appeared from behind a door, carrying trays of dirty dishes.

That was the hardest part of your friends knowing all of your other friends. People couldn't keep their piehole shut, but Sam knew he could trust them all. He shook his head.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world!" He quickly kissed her on the cheek and waved to Ash, who waved back in the middle of playing a guitar solo on his spatula.

After leaving the Roadhouse, he tumbled into the pizza place next door, where a mutual yet surprisingly offbeat friend, Garth, worked. He had called him beforehand and asked him for a pizza for two, cheese, veggie, and meat.

As weird as Garth was, he was reliable, and as soon as Sam walked through the door he was greeted with a warm pizza thrust into his arms and a quick hug form none other than Garth himself.

"Hey there, Sam!" He exclaimed, clapping a hand to Sam's back and leading him farther inside. "It's on the house, but I can't help but ask- pizza for two sounds a little more romantic than the normal Winchester style. Who's the lucky guy?"

Sam smiled with embarrassment and shook his head. "Just a friend, Garth."

It took a few minutes to shake Garth off, but once he did, he was down the road and entering Graceless.

"Just in time." Gabriel called to him as soon as the bell rang for the front door. Sam smiled and waved to the girl at the counter, who only shot him a cold look. Gabriel led him to the back, farther than they had sat before, and grabbed paper plates for the pizza.

"You're too sweet to me." Sam blushed hard at Gabriel's sarcastic tone. He couldn't help it. The other guy was so snarky and adorable, and here Sam was sharing a pizza with him on his lunch break. It made him happy.

They ate together in silence, Gabriel occasionally humming a few lines from whatever song was on the radio. He had a very peculiar taste, Sam noticed, as he went from a pop song to a classic rock song in a matter of seconds.

"So." Sam cleared his throat once he had finished his pizza. Gabriel looked up from his plate. "You told me a little about your family, I guess it's only fair if I reciprocate."

Gabriel nodded, snagging another piece of cheesy heaven and chewing on the end. "Go for it, kid."

"Mom died when Dean and I were kids. Dad raised us, but he was out a lot. Traveling mechanic. Our Uncle Bobby- he owns the repair shop around here- watched us a lot as kids. When dad went missing a few years ago, Uncle Bobby took us in again, helped us out." Sam smiled fondly. "He's a great person."

"Sounds like it." Gabriel remarked with a mouth full of food. Sam smirked at him and continued on.

"You know about Dean already, but I have another brother. Adam. See, dad wasn't exactly a saint, you know? So when he disappeared, Adam showed up and dropped the bomb that he was our brother. I'm half convinced dad is probably living with Adam and his mom now but that's none of my business."

Sam looked at Gabriel, wondering if that was judgment in his gaze, but Gabriel's eyes were soft and understanding.

"Uh-" Sam cleared his throat and forced his eyes away from Gabriel's. "Ellen, Jo, and Ash work at the Roadhouse. You know, that burger joint down the street? Great food. Garth works at the pizza place next door. That's where I got this from. He's pretty weird, but he grows on you." Sam laughed and shook his head, remembering the way Garth acted around children. He really did grow on you.

"Kevin and Chuck both work at the book store across the street, actually. Kevin is young but man, that kid is clever. So is Charlie, but she doesn't live around here. Used to, though. Worked at one of the small game stores until a big company came and snatched her up."

Sam realized he had been talking too much, and gave Gabriel a sympathetic glance. The baker hadn't said a word, and Sam noticed he wasn't even looking at him anymore.

The smaller man's face was tight, and he looked unhappy, almost depressed. Sam started to say something, perhaps to apologize for making Gabriel upset, but when Gabriel heart his breath hitch, he looked up.

"That's a big family you've got. It's nice you're so close." He shot Sam a smile before staring back at his hands.

Sam nodded and nudged him with his shoulder playfully.

"'Family don't end with blood.' That's what Bobby always says."

Gabriel looked up at him again and saw that maybe, just maybe, Sam was right.

* * *

Sam went back and forth with both Charlie, Garth, and Dean, on if it was a good idea to go see Gabriel again the day after their pizza date.

Charlie was adamant that he went, practically threatening his life if he didn't, but he knew she was only joking. Garth told him to be careful and take it slow, seeing as he just met the man. Sam knew he had a point, but he had already felt a certain bond with Gabriel.

Dean was against it altogether. Just the other day he was on Charlie's side, but now, he didn't even want to let Sam out of his sight.

"Who knows what this guy wants, Sammy." He growled under his breath once everyone else had finished talking over one another. "We don't know if he's bad news or not. He's a Novak. They can do whatever they want."

Sam tried to explain that he acted nothing like one would expect, but Dean wouldn't hear any of it. There was no stopping Sam, though, and he knew that, so he threw his hands up in defeat and told Sam to do whatever he damn well pleased.

So he did.

"Gabriel, hey." Sam called when he walked into Graceless. He had picked up a bag of fruit and salad mix on the way to go see his favorite baker, hoping to force Dean to eat something that didn't have to be nuked in the microwave.

"Oh heyya, Sam!" Gabriel popped up from where he had been crouching below the counter, wiping his hands on his apron, which was much cleaner than Sam had seen it before.

Sam almost leaped towards the counter, but managed to gain control of his legs and walk calmly forward, giving Gabe a smile.

"What's in the bag?" he asked Sam. His hands reached over and Sam surrendered his food, a little embarrassed.

"Look at you, Samsquatch! A health nut, I would have never guessed!" Gabriel teased him lightly before handing the bag back.

"Have to balance out that candy binge you had me on the other day." Sam tried to reply smoothly but his voice cracked in the middle of his sentence. He was talking about devouring more roll up than he should have, and Gabriel knew it.

"Gabriel, can I ask you something?" He said as he followed Gabriel alongside the counter. Gabriel had to get back to work, but he also didn't want to send Sam away and act uninterested.

"You mean besides that question? Sure!" Sam twitched his nose into a smirk as he saw Gabriel glance at him through narrowed eyes, a smile on his lips.

"Do you think I could get your number?" Sam felt like he had said that sentence too fast, melding it all together into one word, but if he had, Gabriel didn't notice. Instead, the Baker stood up from what he was doing and nodded.

"Thought you'd never ask." Gabriel whipped out a small piece of paper and a pen seemingly from nowhere, and scrawled his number down quickly on the paper, sliding it over to Sam once he was finished. Sam made a face, something between a smile and a glare, and Gabe wasn't sure what to make of that, until Sam beamed down at him.

"Thanks, man." He shoved Gabriel's number as far down into his pocket as he could, so that he wouldn't accidentally lose it. "I'll give you a call, maybe."

"Anytime, Sammy."

Anytime.

* * *

Sam didn't mean to rush out of Graceless on the 21st, but he had been both excited and nervous and didn't exactly know how to react to scoring this adorable man's number. His first thought was to call Charlie, who congratulated him and begged him, once again, to invite Gabe over for thanksgiving. After giving it some thought and speaking with both Ellen and Ash, he agreed.

"Fine." He had sighed, pretending to sound annoyed. "But if he says no and doesn't want to talk to me anymore, I blame you!"

"I'll take it like a woman, I promise." Charlie had laughed back at him.

Sam let Dean know about his plans, though Dean still wasn't too happy about the whole Gabriel thing to begin with.

"Just tell him to bring pie." He grumbled before Sam left, and Sam smiled. Maybe if Gabe did that, he would just be able to feed Dean enough to get him to like him.

"No." Came Gabriel's response when Sam had finally reached Graceless and asked him. It wasn't a snapped word, but more of a surprised "you're insane for asking that" kind of reply. Sam knew that Gabriel wasn't close to his family well enough already. He hadn't outright said anything, but the way he acted when talking about them, or when Sam talked about his family, was clue enough.

"Please? There will only be a few of us, I promise. I would feel so shitty for just leaving you alone on Thanksgiving."

"Why?" Gabriel stopped bustling around and stood in front of Sam, staring up at him with those big brown puppy dog eyes and Sam fought every urge he had to lean down and kiss him.

"Just… come. And bring pie." Sam's expression warmed and he let his fingers brush Gabriel's arms lightly. Just enough to be friendly, not enough to seem like anything else. Gabriel smirked at him and nodded.

"Alright, alright. Begging is cute on you, Sammy." Sam shoved him away playfully, and at the end of the day, the two departed, perhaps as more than friends.


	6. Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving came faster than everyone had anticipated.

The Tuesday before the 28th, Sam made a special visit to Graceless in search of Gabe, of course. Dean tagged along. He insisted that it was time for him to meet Gabriel even though Sam continued to tell him that he wasn't his boyfriend.

The two of them arrived at the bakery a little after noon, and the place was packed with people. Luckily, they didn't have to buy anything, so the lines were no problem. Gabriel waved at them, his eyes resting on Dean briefly before returning to Sam.

"Samsquatch! And I take it this is Dean!" Gabriel's tone was upbeat and he shook Dean's hand. Sam smiled when he saw that lopsided grin on Dean's face. Gabriel's charisma charmed just about everyone. That was one of the best parts about him.

"You got it." Dean replied. "By the way, thanks for the pie. Do you think you can bring us pumpkin, apple, and, uh… what else do you guys have…?"

Gabriel pointed behind the two brothers over to where they kept a book of pies. Sam couldn't help but let out an impressed scoff. They had apie book. Oh, he knew Dean would get a kick out of that.

"Pecan is pretty popu-"

"Pecan it is, then." Dean had never been one for friendly little chats, but he clapped Gabriel on the back to let him know he meant well. Clearing his throat, Sam took hold of Gabriel's shoulder and looked at him seriously. Dean shuffled his feet, uncomfortable.

"Gabe, I you want or need anything special for Thanksgiving, maybe a tradition or food item or anything, just let me know, okay?" Dean held back a scoff, but Gabriel caught it and gave Sam's brother a small wink, which surprised them both.

"Thanks, big guy. But I've never celebrated Thanksgiving. This'll be my first." He leaned in close to the two of them and whispered, "You're taking my Thanksgiving virginity. Be gentle."

Gabriel, of course, found this hilarious, and chuckled inwardly to himself, but Sam and Dean just looked at one another, then to him, and smiled awkwardly. Sam couldn't help but think that Gabriel was acting just a little bit odd, maybe too jubilant. Not that it was a bad thing, just unexpected.

Sam excused himself to go use the bathroom, leaving Dean and Gabe to bond with one another. The awkward silence only intensified with him gone, and the other two men stared at eachother, as if daring the other to speak.

"You should probably bring a bag." Dean was the one to speak first, although Gabriel wasn't entirely sure what he was talking about. He didn't dare ask, because Dean's green eyes were narrowed and he was staring Gabriel down as if his life depended on it.

They didn't speak to eachother until after Sam finished up in the bathroom, and neither said a thing about the exchange that just occurred. And so they bide Gabriel farewell, until Thanksgiving.

When that day rolled around, Gabriel couldn't have been any less prepared than he already was. The sound of a horn outside of Graceless sounded, and Gabriel clocked out with a farewell to his co-workers. He was taking a week off of work- vacation time he had saved up from never needing a vacation before.

Sam had spent the beginning of the day packing and forcing Dean to let him drive his precious Impala down Main to pick up Gabriel. Dean hitched a ride with Bobby, who didn't care much for meeting Gabriel, but would tolerate his presence around the Harvelle house.

After flagging down Gabriel, who was completely blown away by the beautiful far, the two set off on their first adventure together.

"It's a long drive. Let me know if you have to piss or something." Sam said absentmindedly. His long fingers tapped out the song that was playing on the radio. Gabriel smiled. He knew this song. It was one of his favorites.

"Billy Joel fan?" He asked Sam when Sam reached for the volume knob to turn it up. He shrugged and glanced over to Gabriel.

"Not a huge fan, but he's pretty good." He returned his eyes to the road and smiled when Gabriel scoffed dramatically.

"Pretty good?" Gabriel threw his head back and laughed mockingly, which only made Sam blush, and chuckle to himself. "Come on, Samsquatch! Billy Joel is the best of the best!"

"Yeah, and I'm a moose." Gabriel toss his head to the side, leaning his cheek on the back of the headrest, to stare at Sam through narrowed eyed.

"You know, you could be a moose, if you really wanted to be." He teased, cautiously jabbing Sam in the arm with an outstretched finger. Sam only shook his head and smiled wider, looking over at Gabriel again.

"Shut up."

The silence between the two of them was comfortable, with Gabriel humming his way through "Piano Man" as it played on the radio. Sam looked over at him and sighed happily. The little things that Gabriel did twisted his heart in the best possible way, made him feel warm and happy.

"By the way," Sam cleared his throat just as they were passing a sign that let them know they were leaving the city. It might have been a small detail that he forgot to mention to Gabe, and suddenly he felt very, very guilty. "We're heading out of the city. I, uh, hope you packed a bag."

Gabriel looked down to his gym bag in between his legs, realizing that Sam probably hadn't noticed it in their flourish to leave. He nodded, but looked accusingly at Sam.

"Are you kidnapping me?" His voice was lowered, but his eyes were playful. "I only packed a bag because Dean told me to. Must have slipped your mind, huh, kiddo?"

Sam shuddered at that name again, but the movement wasn't caught by Gabriel, who had rested his head back and closed his eyes to sink into the end of the song.

"I'm sorry. I guess I was too excited, and just forgot." He saw Gabriel smile out of the corner of his eye, causing him to smile in return.

Gabriel had fallen asleep on the car ride there, but not after giving Sam puppy dog eyes to turn on some more Billy Joel. Sam endured it, even though it wasn't his favorite music in the world. It lulled Gabriel to sleep, and Sam didn't have the heart to turn it off.

He made a mental not of just how cute the little baker looked when he was sleeping. Sam watched him for a few minutes after he had parked in front of a three story brick house surrounded by fields and trees and a single road. No other houses could be seen from there. It was the perfect place to get away, he thought as he realized how creepy it was that he was watching Gabriel sleep.

"Gabe, hey." He called out gently, placing his hand on the other man's knee and shaking him awake.

"Where are we?" Gabriel groaned. He peeled his face off of the window and scrunched his nose up unhappily.

"Ellen's house. You remember me telling you about Ellen?" Sam asked him before getting out of the car. Gabriel reached for the handle to get out, but Sam was by his side in seconds, opening the door for him. Gabe smiled and got out, winking at Sam and smiling when he gave him a look of confusion.

"Yeah, I remember. Why does she live so far out here?"

"Well," They had begun to walk towards the door. Sam counted the cars on his way. Bobby's truck was already there, and Charlie's little yellow car sat just next to his. Of course, there was also Ellen's truck. Ash's was no where to be seen, so Sam assumed he had hitched a ride with someone.

"Technically, she doesn't live here. Just owns this land. She lives in a smaller place closer to the Roadhouse." Explained Sam as he knocked on the door. It swung open instantly and Sam would have been knocked over by Charlie's enormous, enthusiastic hug if Gabriel hadn't caught him.

"Charlie! I saw you like last week!" Sam hugged her back anyway, and then held her at arm's length to get a better look at her.

"You chopped off all of your hair." He said this more as a question, and Charlie playfully batted at him, cuffing him gently on the back of the head.

"You should try it, sunshine." Her gaze swept from Sam to Gabriel, and her smile brightened significantly. Sam was taken aback when Charlie threw herself at Gabriel, and by the shocked expression on Gabriel's face, he wasn't expecting it either.

"You must be Gabriel. I'm so happy to meet you." She said to him, and when the hug broke apart, Gabriel replied, "It's great to meet you too. Sam talks about you a lot."

"I could say the same for you." Charlie only winked at him, and Gabriel gave her a sly smile. Sam couldn't help but blush and thank God for the fact that they were already getting along swimmingly. But it wasn't that hard to get along with Gabriel, nor was it hard to befriend Charlie. Hopefully everything would go just as well with Ellen, Ash, and Bobby.

Charlie led the way inside and they were greeted by the smell of pumpkin and spices and warm cooking food from the kitchen. Dean and Bobby were sitting off in the living room, silent except for when they had to yell at the television. Sam knew that they weren't watching a game, but the parade. He was surprised it was still on, but whatever kept them happy and out of the way was fine with him.

"Guess who's here, Ellen!" Charlie called as they walked into the kitchen. Ellen was preparing most of the food, with some of Ash's help, although he continued to get distracted by the book he was reading.

Ellen turned around and beamed at the younger men before her. Sam smiled back and walked over to give her a hug. Gabriel thought to himself how weird it was that they all saw each other almost every day, but acted as though they hadn't seen each other in months.

Gabriel smiled when Ellen looked to him, and hugged him too.

"You're Gabriel." She said softly, and then broke the hug. "It's good to meet you."

"You, too." Gabriel looked to Sam as if to ask why these people have already heard of him, but Sam didn't meet his eyes. It was embarrassing enough that his family was already acting like he and Gabe were married, but now Gabriel was catching on too. He didn't need to know how much Sam liked him.

"That's Ash." Ellen jerked her head to the mullet-headed man who was hunched over the stove, stirring something in a pot with one hand, and flipping through the pages of a large book with the other. Sam could see the shock in Gabriel's eyes. Ash didn't look like much, but he was smarter than anyone Sam had ever met.

Ash waved hello, and muttered, "We're cool, Gabriel." As if to reassure him that his disinterest was no fault of Gabriel. Ash was just busy.

"Ash lives with me and my daughter, Jo." Ellen took Sam and Gabe by the shoulders and led them out of the kitchen, leaving Charlie and Ash to handle the food for now. Dean glanced up and tilted his head to them when they entered the room, only to return to yelling at the parade.

"You boys need to keep it down in here." Scolded Ellen. She tapped Bobby on the shoulder, and he turned around. He set his eyes on Gabriel, narrowing them.

"Gabriel." Gabe stood still, and tried to force a small smile, but it came out very pained and awkward. Bobby's expression suddenly changed from one of anger to one of amusement and he just laughed.

"Good to meet you." He said, turning back to the television to join Dean in shouting. Sam looked down at Gabriel, who looked mildly uncomfortable.

"Ellen, uh… Gabe is great with food, or so he says." He nudged Gabriel towards the kitchen and Ellen threw her arm around him like they had been friends for years. "Why don't you go and test that?" Ellen nodded. She understood what Sam was doing, so she led Gabriel into the kitchen with her, Charlie, and Ash, leaving Sam, Dean and Bobby in the living room, illuminated only by the sun outside and the television screen.

Sam took a seat in between Dean and Bobby, propping his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. They watched the parade together for a good half an hour, shouting when someone did or said something dumb, laughing at the silly floats, getting mildly drunk. Sam kept an ear open for Gabe, just in case.

"So, boyfriend's a Novak, I hear." Bobby grumbled during a commercial. Sam looked to Dean, who made a point of whistling and staring at the ceiling. Sam groaned and turned to Bobby.

"Why is everyone stuck on that? He doesn't associate with his family. Why do you think he's here?" Bobby just shook his head and sighed as he turned his attention back to some infomercial about cookie cutters for Christmas. "He isn't even my boyfriend." Sam added as an afterthought."

"Uh huh." Sam, annoyed at Bobby's disbelieving tone, turned to Dean. "You don't have a problem with him, do you?"

Dean shrugged and took a belt from his beer. He didn't say a word, or even look at Sam, and Sam couldn't help but wonder when his family had become so ridiculously irritating and irrational. Thankfully, he didn't have time to dwell on this, because as soon as he had gotten to his feet to go check on the kitchen team, Gabriel poked his head in.

"Ellen says that you all need to get up off of your asses and help set the table." The three men on the couch all looked over at him, both surprised and a little bit offended. Gabriel blushed.

"Her words, not mine!" He held his hands up in defense and Sam gave him a funny look. Gabriel was pulling all the right strings and Sam was enjoying this perhaps more than he should have been.

They did as they were told, washing their own hands (After Charlie scolded them all for trying to touch the dishes with dirty hands) and setting the table, placing plates and cups and setting up the food in an orderly manner.

Once the places were set, the drinks were poured, and everyone was seated, Sam paused. He didn't know Gabriel's religious preferences, but he knew his family wasn't one for prayer or saying grace. He watched for Gabe's reaction to Ash delving into potatoes, Dean taking one piece out of each pie, and Bobby tearing apart the turkey. He was relieved when he saw Gabe smile and ask Charlie to pass him the candied yams.

"Oh god." Charlie exclaimed, suddenly bursting into laughter. Sam and Dean exchanged knowing looks, and soon Ash was laughing too.

"Do you guys remember that one thanksgiving when the four of us decided to ditch everyone else and go to a freaking LARP party?" Charlie's eyes were watering. She was almost in tears, and Ash had choked on a piece of turkey. Ellen had to bang him on his back to dislodge the food.

"Wasn't as bad as the time-"

"Don't you dare, Dean!" Sam held up his fork as a threat. Dean loved telling embarrassing Sam stories, especially if there was a love interest within earshot.

"Oh come on!" Charlie called over Gabriel to Sam. "It wasn't that bad."

"Yes, it was!" Sam laughed. He was already blushing. No matter how much he begged them not to say anything, they would, and he knew it.

"Alright, alright." Dean held his hands up for silence, and everyone listened. He looked pointedly at Gabe, as if this story was just for him. "There was this one week where Sam just had the worst fucking luck. I'm talking black cats and smashing mirrors and walking under ladders kind of shit." Gabriel nodded

"So, we go out, right? And Sammy-boy here not only trips and falls flat on his face at least a dozen times, but the fucker loses his shoe down a sewer drain and almost cries about it." Sam held his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking with laugher. Gabe chuckles to himself, but Charlie has to cup her hand over her mouth to keep from squealing.

"That isn't even the worst part!" Dean holds his hands up dramatically, again. "I leave him alone for, what, Sammy, ten seconds? Not only does he manage to catch on fire, but when he was trying to put the fire out, he knocked himself out and I come back to Sam covered in scorch marks and passed out on the floor with tears streaming down his face."

"That's terrible!" Gabriel couldn't help but laugh too. The thought of a dejected Sam having to live through hilariously bad luck like that was too amusing not to laugh at. As long as Sam was alright with people poking fun at him (And by the looks of it, he was), Gabriel could enjoy it.

"Prank wars." Sam said suddenly, pointing his fork at Dean again. Bobby rolled his eyes and Ellen covered her face with her hand.

"Don't tell me you boys are still doing that." She muttered.

"Oh, now it's on." Dean said. He made a show of rolling up his shirt sleeves as though he was about to get into a fist fight.

"Anyone remember that time Garth had to babysit?"

The entire table, save Gabe, began laughing, even Bobby, whose face had remained somber for quite some time. Gabriel jumped when everyone shouted, "Mister Fizzles!" and began cackling again. He squirmed but Sam didn't notice.

"Is he still dating that Becky chick?"

"No, not after Chuck told him what happened."

"How is Chuck, anyway?"

"Still paying for porn, you know how he is."

Slowly, their voices were drowned out in Gabe's mind, and he felt like he was underwater. Everything became increasingly uncomfortable. He excused himself from the table and ran to the first bathroom that he could find, though it wasn't exactly the closest.

"Damn it." Gabriel breathed into the toilet as his stomach hitched again. He wasn't able to vomit anything up, but he could feel his body trying to force everything he had ever eaten out of his body. He wasn't having any of it. It would just be rude to throw up the lovely dinner that he had helped prepare.

Tears were rolling down his cheeks in a matter of seconds. He missed his brothers so much.

When Gabriel had run off to the bathroom, everyone had suddenly got very quiet, and looked at Sam as if he had all of the answers. He shrugged and go out of his chair to walk towards the bathroom where Gabe had holed up.

He raised his hand to knock at the door, but stopped himself when he had heard Gabriel's quiet sobbing through the door. Sam's heart broke a little. No wonder he had run off and away from the table. Sam hadn't realized just how disconnected Gabriel was from his family.

By the time Gabriel had pulled himself together enough to leave the bathroom, dinner had already been put away and the pies were the only things left on the table. Sam yanked lightly on Gabriel's arm as he left the bathroom, wiping his mouth on his shirt sleeve.

"Listen," Sam sighed, tugging Gabe perhaps a little too close to be considered friendly. "I'm so sorry about earlier. I didn't realize-"

"It isn't your fault, Sam." Gabriel smiled up at him, but his eyes were still red and puffy from crying. "I just wasn't really prepared for all the family talk."

"If you want, I can take you home." Sam hadn't let go of Gabriel's arm, and he didn't want to. He wanted Gabriel to stay with him, because he had something important to ask him tonight. But if Gabriel was uncomfortable, he wasn't going to keep him here.

"I'm really okay." Gabriel replied. Sam didn't believe him, but he left it alone and dropped Gabe's arm back to his side.

"Boys, come in the living room." Ellen called suddenly from her spot on the couch. Sam knew it was something of tradition for them to get together and watch crappy movies until someone passed out every holiday, it didn't matter which one. So Sam led Gabriel by the hand to the living room, where someone, presumably Ash, started "Son-in-law", with Pauly Shore.

It wasn't long until Bobby and Ellen took off up the stairs, saying goodnight and heading in separate directions. Sam knew it was partially because neither of them could stand that movie, but it was getting late. He started yawning himself, but he didn't want to leave Gabriel down here without him.

Ash was the next to drop, although he didn't head upstairs, but down to the basement where he slept in the rec room. Dean followed suit, although Sam suspected there wouldn't be as much sleeping as there would be watching bad soap operas.

The movie was over, and Charlie stood up. "Okay, enough of this crap. I'm putting on Friends." Sam groaned. He didn't particularly like that show, and he knew it wasn't one of Charlie's favorites, but it was humorous and light, and would best fit the mood of the evening.

She also grabbed a bowl of chocolate, to Gabriel's delight, and sat it on Sam's lap, who was situated in between both Gabriel and Charlie.

After only three episodes, Charlie snatched the candy bowl right from under Gabriel's hand, and yawned.

"I'm off to sleep! You two behave down here, kay?" She winked at them both before heading upstairs for bed.

It was silent in the room. Charlie had switched the television off before retreating to her designated bedroom, and now Sam and Gabriel sat beside each other, perhaps too close, in the dark. Sam felt Gabriel shift away from him, and his heart sank. He just wanted him to be closer.

"Gabe, can I ask you something?" Sam realized his mistake as soon as he opened his mouth, and prepared himself for Gabe's sassy retort, but it never came. Instead, the other man turned towards him and in the dim light that reflected through the glass, Sam could see Gabriel's eyes.

And damn it, the things those eyes did to him.

"Are you, you know." Sam shrugged his shoulders without breaking eye contact with Gabriel. In the likely event that he was not- you know- Sam will have not only lost a friend, but a potential boyfriend.

"Gay?" Gabriel's steady voice eased Sam's worries a bit. "Sort of."

Sam smiled to Gabriel, and Gabriel grinned back. The two had something of an understanding between them that night. They were definitely going to be more than friends, sailing somewhere between the dangerous waters of best friends and lovers. And they were both very content with that.

Gabriel cleared his throat and stood up, Sam following him. "I should probably get to sleep," he said, nodding his head towards the stairs. "I'm sure you lot have a ton more surprises for me in the morning."

Sam could only nod. He was thinking about what Gabe had said, about being 'sort of' gay, and what that could mean for him. Gabriel clearly knew that Sam was at this point, with all of the silly touching and the giggling like teenage girls. And the fact that he hadn't made it clear he wasn't interested was a good sign.

Opening his arms, Sam pulled Gabriel into a hug. It was something he wouldn't have done if anyone else was in the room. He could tolerate Dean's teasing and Charlie's fawning over their 'relationship', or whatever it was they had, in private, but not in front of Gabriel. It was too embarrassing.

When Gabriel returned the hug just as tight, Sam held his breath. Gabriel smelled like cinnamon. It was such an out of place smell, but it was also so Gabriel, and that made Sam extremely happy.

Sam led Gabriel upstairs to the guest room. They said goodnight to one another, but after closing the door, Sam stood outside for a couple of moments. Yes, he did like Gabe. And yes, all was well.


	7. Nov 30- Dec 25

**November 30**

****_One month ago, I would have told you that there was no such thing as love at first sight. Two days ago, I would have told you that maybe it's possible, but not for me. Now, I wouldn't know what to tell you._

_ We've been at Ellen's for two days. In those two days, I've met half of Sam Winchester's family. I've also formed something of an unspoken relationship with him. We know it's there. And last night, I kissed him for the first time._

_ It wasn't entirely as romantic as one would think. It was strange in the beginning, but we got the hang of it. Charlie won't shut up about how cute we are together. I think she's even started annoying Dean, who adores the shit out of her._

_ Sammy is asleep next to me as I write this. Everyone knows we have a thing. I'm okay with that. I'm just glad that Sammy is mine._

**December 4**

_ Went back to the city late last night. I spent the night at the Winchesters house, so did Charlie. It started snowing, so after I went to work, Sam took me out to an ice skating rink. Im really good at ice skating, I learned, and Sam is really clumsy. I guess for a guy his height that's supposed to be expected_

_ We went out for coffee afterwards, because it was Sams day off. He wanted to learn more about me so I told him what I thought was important. I felt bad because he told me more about his family then I could tell him. Even after all these years, I guess it still hurt._

_ He asked me to spend Christmas with him too, at Ellens house. He warned me there would be more people, but also promised I would definitely meet them before then. Of course I said yes._

**December 9**

****_I met Kevin and Chuck today. Sam and I made it official that we were dating, so there was no confusion. He told me how much he really loved this particular author and wanted a particular book, so I told him to take me to the book store when I got off. He tried to insist I didn't have to buy im anything so I told him that I wasn't buying him anything, I was gifting him something, like on Christmas._

_ That didn't make him feel better._

_ Kevin is Chucks adopted brother. They bicker a lot, but you can tell they care about eachother, kinda like Sam and Dean. And Sam was right about Kevin, he's super smart. I'm surprised he and Ash aren't best friends._

_ When I bought Sam the book he almost started crying, so I just hugged him and told him that it was fine, I care a lot about him and it was something small, the least I could do. He really appreciated it. I'm glad I made him happy._

**December 16**

_Sam asked me to go Christmas shopping with him. I had enough money saved up over the years that I could buy everyone something nice, but Sam insisted that it wasn't necessary._

_ After work, he took me to the mall that's closer to the big city, a few minutes outside of the Historic district. I hadn't really got to know all of his family that well, but he helped me pick out a few things for the people who were going to be there._

_ I also got to meet Garth. He's a character, really. And pretty hilarious. I think we'll get along great._

**December 19**

_ My day has been shit. Fucking shit fuck I can't form sentences right now I'm so fucking pissed off._

_ Castiel came to see me today. I don't know how he knew where to find me, but he came into my place of work._

_ Castiel is my kid brother. One of the youngest, actually. Only 19. Of course, he's only a half-brother. But seriously, how did he find me?_

_ He came to make amends and I couldn't help but think about how much he fucking grew up and I wanted to hug him because it wasn't his fault, and he told me he moved out when he turned 18 and wanted to find Lucifer and I because Dad was annoying the shit out of him and I just fucking couldn't_

_ I may or may not have accidentally punched him in the face._

_ But I had to go see Sam afterwards. I couldn't tell him what happened, but I needed to take a breather._

**December 22**

****_I told Sam everything_

**December 23**

_Sam forced me to call Castiel. He didn't force me so much as bug me until I did, but still, same thing, right? I'm a little pissed off at him now, but whatever. Castiel forgave me for punching him, and accepted my (More like Sam's) invitation to Christmas._

_ I'm still really confused as to why Sam is doing all of this. He's known me a few months and is already inviting me to spend holidays with his family, and inviting my own family over even though he knows who we are. I'm grateful, don't get me wrong, but I just don't understand why hes so damn friendly._

_ At least with Dean and even Bobby and Garth sometimes, they get a little concerned and keep an eye on me and I'm glad because it makes me uncomfortable that they trust me so damn much, only because I'm worried about Sammy. What if he decides one day to trust the wrong person? I'm glad he has people looking out for him._

_ Castiel is coming over for dinner tomorrow night. I don't know if I'm ready for this._

**December 24**

_ I was not ready for that._

_ Everything was fine at first. Castiel and I say hey and hug and kind of catch up. I learn he's living alone and working from home and hardly goes outside (No wonder he is so damn pale), and he's super intelligent because I couldn't count the times that he and Ash got to talking and I couldn't understand a word they said._

_ Then he asks about my tattoos. Sam hasn't seen me with my shirt off yet, so he doesn't know I have six wings tattooed on my back. I got them when I was fourteen, before I left home. Lucifer and Mike, my two older brothers, had them too, and I think Raphael did at some point but he may have gotten them removed. It was our thing. I tried notto think about it much._

_ This only makes Sam get defensive and almost go off on Cas and of course here I am almost going off on him and Castiel get's super upset and Dean gets pissed off at Sam for making Castiel upset but I still don't understand why Dean was involved._

_ Jo and Charlie had to separate us, but later Sam and I apologized to Castiel._

_ Sam told me he was going to talk to Castiel. I was against it but he did it anyway._

_ I'm going to sleep, tomorrow is present day and I just want to be happy._

**December 25**

_Today wasn't nearly as bad as last night._

_ It was so much better_

_ Everyone loved their presents, and Sam somehow found the time to get Castiel something. Castiel acted so awkward, because he insisted he couldn't accept the present and tried to offer people jars of honey he bought online from a private honey farm._

_ I forgot just how odd he was._

_ We played board games before everyone went to sleep. Castiel had apparently never played before so it was slow going but also hilarious when he made mistakes and tried to logic his way out of Clue._

_ Theres a lake a few minutes away from the house. When the sun had set and everyone said their goodnights, Sammy asked me to join him, so I drove us there (I brought my car, thank god, because Dean would have killed me if I touched his)_

_ We talked a little bit, about our families, ourselves, about stupid shit. It was nice._

_ Tonight was also the night that Sam told me he loved me._

_ I tried to make a joke, because I didn't know what to say. Sam said it again, and asked how I felt._

_ So I told him the truth. I told him I loved him too._

_ We did things I'm not exactly going to share with you, not because i'm not proud (I'm pretty damn proud) but because it's none of your business._


	8. To Heal the Wounds from Lovers Past

"Hey, Gabe?" Sam called to him from his spot on the couch. It was the night of the day after Thanksgiving, and just about everyone was either already asleep or busy making themselves look busy.

They did have a tiresome day. Ellen tried to get everyone out of the house, but with the amount of lazy people they had under one roof, she wasn't able to pull it off. She had, though, offered Dean a job after she found out from Charlie that he lost his. Sam knew that couldn't possibly be the best move, since Dean had a temper on him, but maybe a few weeks with Jo would fix that.

"What's up, kiddo?" Gabe was sprawled out on the floor on his back with his arm over his face. He somehow managed to wear himself out during the day, and was already having a hard time staying awake. Sam slithered down on the ground to join him. It was a little awkward trying to maneuver, considering the height difference and the fact that Sam wanted to curl up in Gabe's arms, not the other way around, but the managed.

"I wanted to say thanks." Sam laid his head on Gabe's shoulder, his head almost tucked under his chin. Gabriel moved as close as he could to Sam and pressed his lips to Sam's hair.

"Whatcha mean?" he managed to mumble from under his arm. The floor was beginning to get increasingly uncomfortable but he was too tired to move.

"Gabe." The sharp edge to Sam's voice caused Gabriel to jump. He uncovered his eyes and looked down at Sam, who was staring up at him with a very serious look on his face. "I like you. I like you a lot. And I wanted to thank you for not just coming with me, a guy you hardly know, to spend a holiday with my family. Just... thanks, I guess."

Gabriel sighed and flashed Sam a smirk. It was cute how soppy he got sometimes, and there were other times when Gabe was the soppy one. If only his family could see him now, God knows Lucifer would taunt the shit out of him.

He didn't say anything in response to Sam. He didn't know what he could say. That he liked Sam back? Sam already knew that well enough, and if he didn't, well, Gabriel wouldn't know what to do. But the silence didn't seem to make Sam uncomfortable, so he was content to just lay there and fall asleep on the living room floor.

"You're falling asleep. Why don't we go to bed?" Sam spoke in a hushed tone as he helped a half-asleep Gabriel to his feet. The sight of him made Sam laugh to himself. His dark honey-blonde hair was sticking up at all different angles in the back and his eye were droopy and dim. Sam thought he looked adorable.

Taking his hand, he led Gabriel upstairs, walking past Dean's room (And from the sound of it, Dean was still awake and watching some music documentary.) and into the guest room Gabriel had been sleeping in. Sam noticed the corner of a journal sticking out of the bag that Gabriel brought, and his curiosity peaked. What had Gabe been writing in there? He didn't even know Gabriel had a journal.

Sam helped Gabriel into bed, and turned to leave, only to be stopped by a loud, impatient groan coming from Gabriel. He turned to see that Gabe had gotten up out of bed and was walking towards him.

"What are you-" Sam stopped mind sentence when Gabriel latched himself onto Sam, wrapping his arms around his torso and pressing his face into Sam's chest. He nuzzled Sam a few times before looking up at him through tired, half-closed eyes.

"Don't want you to go." He said quietly as he pressed his face into Sam again. Sam, who had wrapped his arms around Gabriel as well, looked down at him. He took a hand away from Gabriel's back and tilted his head up, so he was looking at Sam.

That was about the time Sam learned that sloppy, half asleep first kisses were always going to be the best. He leaned down just as Gabriel was pushing up on his tip-toes, and when their lips met, there was a loud ringing in his ears, as if they had just broken the entire universe.

Gabriel kissed with furious passion, but he was also smooth and gentle at the same time, something Sam had never thought was possible. It was strange to him, new, but nice none the less. The only thing Sam could do was match his intensity with his own and by the time they broke apart, they were both panting and rosy-cheeked.

"Don't want you to go." Gabriel said again as he pulled Sam towards the bed. Sam hesitated for a minute, wondering what everyone else would say, but he didn't care. He crawled in besides Gabriel, and Gabriel tucked himself neatly in Sam's arms. Sam held him close and kissed his forehead.

In that moment, Sam knew this was something he wanted with Gabriel for a very, very long time.

Charlie was the first to find out that the two men had shared a bed, and kissed, that night. She kept telling them how happy she was for them, because she could, in her words, "tell how much they wanted to do it and it was getting pretty damn annoying seeing them flirt but not admit to anything." Dean agreed with her, but he was still somewhat wary about Gabe.

"Dean, you have sex with a ton of women the first night you meet them. I just kissed him and we shared a bed," Sam tried to argue with him, but Dean was barely paying attention. "Why should this be any worse?"

"Because I don't plan on having those women in my home, or meeting my family, or spending holidays with me the first month we meet." Came Dean's reply, and with him walking away, Sam knew that was the end of that argument.

Dean also insisted, the night that they drove back to the city, that he drive his own car, and Sam rode shotgun.

"Where is Gabriel going to sit?" Sam had asked, but Gabriel insisted it was fine if he sat in the back, after seeing a small amount of anger on Dean's face when he joked about sitting on his brothers lap and riding shotgun, too.

It was late by the time they got in. Charlie had managed to get to their apartment before them, and they spotted her red hair and yellow car sitting in their guest spot. She waved to all of them furiously to come inside. On their way there, it had started to snow. Sam was surprised. It hardly snowed anymore, ever since the blizzard they had two years ago. But snow was always welcome.

"Ellen wanted me to remind you that you have to go into work tomorrow." Charlie said as she helped the Winchesters, and Gabriel, bring their bags into the apartment.

"Dude, you pack like a girl." Dean made the mistake of commenting on Sam's three-bag policy and got a sharp smack from Charlie. He apologized but glared at all three of them until he was finally able to crawl into his bed and ignore them.

"Jesus fucking Christ, it is freezing." Sam exclaimed the next day as he ran into Graceless. A few customers shot him dirty looks, but he didn't care. His pink face twisted into a smile when he saw Gabriel with his back to him, finishing up an order before he clocked out.

Sam walked over to the counter and leaned on its glass, waiting for Gabriel to turn around so he could surprise him.

"Careful there, Samsquatch, you might upset the masses." Ahh, there was that snarky attitude that Sam loved so much. Gabriel turned around and ruffled Sam's hair with one of his hands before returning to his last customer.

The two walked out the door, hand in hand, and Sam led Gabriel to his car.

"Why are we going ice skating, again?" Gabriel asked when they pulled up to an outdoor rink downtown. Sam only shrugged and held out his hand for Gabriel to come follow him.

"I just thought it'd be nice for us to go out and do something." He replied once they had started walking down to get their shoes. Gabe looked at him suspiciously.

"So it has nothing to do with you wanting to see me humiliate myself and fall on my ass?" Sam only laughed at his response and nudged him with his shoulder.

"Well, maybe a little."

Sam had been right; it was cold. In the short time that it had taken Gabriel to take his shoes off and slip skates on, his feet were already numb and he had started to shiver furiously, only to be comforted and warmed by Sam slinging his arm around his shoulders and hugging him in close. After a few minutes, Gabriel said,

"Alright, alright, big guy." And shrugged Sam off playfully. "Let's just get this over with." Sam knew that Gabriel was only pretending to be upset that Sam brought him to a rink. He could tell by the glow in his eyes that he was actually very excited about it.

Sam began to regret his own decision, however, as soon as he stepped out onto the ice. His left leg almost folded completely underneath of him, and the only thing keeping him upright was Gabriel's steady body against his.

Gabriel didn't laugh, although he looked like he wanted to, but skated backwards with ease as he held Sam's hands and stood in front of him. Sam wouldn't unlock his eyes from his feet, afraid that he would either step on Gabriel and hurt him or his legs would buckle beneath him again.

"You're fine, Sammy. Good god, are you clumsy, though." Gabriel teased. After Sam seemingly got the hang of taking baby steps in ice skates, Gabriel made a quick lap around the rink. Sam stopped for a minute and watched him, amazed at the grace that the shorter man had.

"I thought you didn't know how to skate, you asshole." Sam called out when Gabriel came to a stop a few feet away. Gabriel slid over to him and pinned him against the wall of the rink.

"Surprise!" Kissing Sam on the nose, he skated backwards again. "I lied!"

Gabriel hadn't really lied, but it was much more fun to let Sam believe so. Sam only shook his head and made an attempt to glide towards Gabe. This disastrous attempt ended with him almost falling on his face. Thankfully, Gabe had caught the lurching movement his body had made and caught him in time.

"You really are a graceless moose, aren't you?" Sam stuck his tongue out at Gabriel, who, in turn, wiggled his eyebrows at Sam and danced circles around him.

After about a half an hour of Gabriel showing off his newfound skills and Sam trying his hardest not to crash into him, Sam noticed how much Gabe had been shivering. It took some coaxing, but Sam finally got him off of the ice and back into his shoes.

"That was fun." Remarked Gabe as they walked towards the coffee shop nearby. Sam nodded in response. He did have fun, regardless of how bad he was out on the ice. At least Gabriel was able to enjoy himself just a little bit more.

They entered the coffee shop one by one, greeted by a pink-haired barista and one or two floaters, drinking their coffees and reading books. Sam ordered for the both of them (coffee, black, and for Gabe, of course, something with way too more sugar than one human should consume) before joining Gabriel at a corner booth all the way in the back, near the bathrooms. It wouldn't have been Sam's choice, but it worked.

"Gabriel." Sam leaned forward, gripping his warm coffee. "I would love to know more about you. You know so much about me, but you, you're still pretty much a mystery."

"I don't know, Sammy." Gabriel sighed inwardly. "There isn't much to know."

"Don't lie to me."

"Who said I'm lying?"

Sam gave him a smirk, which was returned by Gabriel. "Don't be an ass, Gabe. Just talk to me."

Gabe could only shake his head and let his eyes wander around the room. Staring at him, Sam got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Gabriel was a lot more secretive than anyone he had ever met, and he lived with Dean, who lied just about as much as he possibly could without getting into legal trouble.

Even then, he still somehow managed to lie his way out of that, too.

"I'm Gabriel Novak." Gabriel began. He refused to make eye contact with Sam, but Sam stared at him intently.

"I'm twenty-seven years old. I used to have a dog, Loki, but he ran off. I-"

"Wait." Sam held his hand up and interrupted Gabriel mid-sentence. "You named your dog after someone from the Avengers?"

"No, idiot. The Norse God Loki." Sam nodded his head, although he felt stupid and a bit embarrassed at himself for not realizing that of course Gabriel wouldn't name his dog after an Avenger. Gabriel only smirked and nudged Sam's hand with his own.

"Hey, bucko, don't give me that hurt bunny look." Gabriel joked, leaning in closer. "You know what it does to me." He winked at Sam, who in turn, blushed. "What else do you want to know?"

"Everything, Gabe." Sam replied. He wrapped one hand around Gabe's and caressed it. "I care about you, and I want to know everything about you."

"Jesus, Samsquatch, I didn't know you could be so soppy." Sam knew he didn't bother Gabriel one bit, and Gabe just enjoyed teasing him about it sometimes. Sam didn't mind. It was comforting, really, that Gabriel noticed these things about him.

"I've worked at Graceless since they opened." Gabriel began again. "I mean, I've always loved cooking and sweets. Though you've probably already learned that about me." He smirked when Sam nodded his head. "I live above the shop, in a small apartment. You already know how much I love Billy  
Joel, but I also have a soft spot for 'Top 40's' stuff."

Gabriel paused to take a sip from the frothy drink in front of him. He emerged from the liquid with a foam mustache, but hadn't noticed when he opened his mouth to start speaking again. Sam shook his head and licked a finger to wipe of the foam.

"As I was saying." Gabriel swatted at Sam's hand, though Sam had thankfully gotten most of the foam off of Gabriel's upper lip. "I don't think anyone is too old to go to a theme park, honestly. Though it's pathetic to go alone, not to mention the fact you get weird looks from the parents of children." Sam snorted into his drink, imagining a lone Gabriel munching on cotton candy and getting death glares from random parents, and Gabriel had to give him a second to stop choking.

"I don't exactly have a religion, but I like reading books about mythology and pagan Gods. If I didn't work at a bakery, I think I would probably want to do something with that." Gabe watched Sam's face for any sign that he could possibly be silently judging or mocking him, but Sam's face was sincere.

The truth was, Sam was thinking about just how lucky he was to have met Gabriel, and not just because he was one of the most attractive people Sam had the pleasure to meet. Even though Gabe could be secretive (especially when it came to his family, Sam had learned), the things he did tell Sam only made him that much more appealing.

Gabriel was childish and playful, rude and snarky, but also one of the most intelligent, sweetest people that Sam had ever met in his life. And Sam was having a hard time focusing on the rest of the world when he was around.

Gabriel had started speaking again, and Sam drank in every word with serious interest. Gabe didn't have much more to reveal. He had gone to college for a year and studied art, and was actually a very skilled artist whose talent was going to waste. Sam couldn't help but think that there was nothing that Gabriel couldn't do.

It was silent for a few minutes as the two finished off their coffees. Sam watched Gabriel tilt his head back, trying to get to the very last few sugary drops. Gabe caught his eye and sat his glass down. He wiped his mouth on his jacket sleeve.

"What's up?" Gabriel asked Sam, though Sam was hardly listening. He just stared at Gabriel with those sunflower-on-water eyes.

"Spend Christmas with me." Is what came out of his mouth next. He had honestly meant to say "nothing", but his subconscious had other ideas.

"Woah, there, babe." Sam perked up like an excited puppy. That was the very first time either of them had addressed the other as such. "I don't think-"

"Gabey, please." Sam held tight to Gabriel's hands, relieved when he didn't pull away. "I know it's fast and kind of scary and even more of my family will be there but…" he paused and leaned in to nuzzle Gabe's face across the table. "We can go see them before Christmas. You can get to know them. Just come with me."

Gabriel didn't answer. Sam could see he was thinking about it. As he watched Gabriel's face for any sign of confirmation, a tidal wave of happiness washed over him when Gabriel plastered his usual sassy grin onto his face before replying.

"Of course I'll go, dumbass." He gave Sam a quick peck on the nose. "But that doesn't make you any less of the biggest, sappiest tree I've ever seen."

"Gabe, please."

"God damn it, Sammy, if you don't shut up…

"I told you already, it isn't a big deal!"

"It's a huge deal. Don't fucking lie to me."

Sam only grunted and let out an annoyed breath directed at Gabriel, who was almost literally dragging him along by his wrist into "Prophets", the bookstore across the street from Gabriels home and work. It was owned by two of the Winchester's best friends, Kevin and Chuck.

Earlier that day, Sam had made the mistake of mentioning to Gabriel that he thoroughly enjoyed the work of a particular science fiction author, someone who Gabriel enjoyed himself as well. A little less than a half an hour of research and prying later, Gabriel tricked Sam into the car and drove him down to the shop on Main. Sam insisted that he didn't need the newest book to add to his collection. Gabriel objected.

"I'm getting you the damn book, whether you like it or not." He had said, tugging Sam out of the car.

"I don't want to waste money." Sam tried to argue back, although he knew it was weak on his part. Gabriel only snorted and pulled him along the sidewalk.

"Think of it as an early Christmas present, 'kay?" Gabriel growled to him before telling him to shut up.

Sam admitted defeat as soon as they stepped through the book stores threshold. Gabriel wasn't going to let him go, and he certainly couldn't just shake him off and turn tail. Not with both Chuck and Kevin staring down at them from the second level of the store.

"Hey! It's Sam. Kev, look who decided to show is face around here again." Sam looked up and saw Chuck peering down. He took note of how scruffy he looked, and the fact that he seemed to be only wearing a robe. He was writing again. That was never a great sign.

"I'm not blind, Chuck? I can see who it is." Sam could hear Kevin's sigh from somewhere unseen above, but soon he was walking down the flight of stairs with a pile of books in his hand. It was clear soon, however, he definitely was not able to see over the books, and Gabriel ran over to help him, lifting half of the burden and uncovering his face.

Sam was shocked at just how rugged Kevin looked, too, as if the two of them had been working hard and hadn't slept for days.

"Thanks." Kevin flashed Gabriel a wary but grateful look before returning his gaze to Sam. "Who's this mook?"

Sam cringed at Kevin's choice words, but he knew it wasn't anything personal. Kevin had a hard time trusting strangers. They both did.

"This is Gabriel." Sam replied softly. He hesitated before adding in an even quieter tone. "My boyfriend."

Gabe didn't give any indication that he disagreed. Instead, he beamed and gave Sam a short wink. Sam let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding and looked back at Kevin, who was still glaring at the both of them with judging eyes.

"Kevin!" Chuck was downstairs and at their side now, shoving Kevin just enough to get him moving again and out of the two other men's way.

"Jesus, Chuck. You don't have to such a hardass." They heard Kevin mumble as he walked away. Sam worried constantly about the kid, who had only recently celebrated his eighteenth birthday. Some day he could walk in and Kevin would be acting fine, joking with both him and Chuck, and other days he seemed so stressed, or perhaps like someone killed his dog.

"Don't worry about my little brother." Chuck apologized and led both Sam and Gabe by their shoulders into a small sitting area that looked more like a book hoarder's living room than a book store. "He's seriously cramming as much work into his schedule as possible, and the year has only just started."

"Sounds about right." Scoffed Sam as he took a seat in an arm chair, offering Gabriel a seat on his lap, which his partner so graciously took. "It's just like Kevin to do more work than needed. He's a freakin' genius, Chuck. I'm telling you, that kid has some serious brainpower on him."

Chuck only nodded and seated himself across from the other two. He had to adjust his robe so nothing considered indecent was showing a few times before settling in what looked to Sam to be a relatively uncomfortable position.

"Mom and Dad adopted Kevin when he was only 2." Sam hadn't noticed the hint of confusion on Gabriel's face, but thankfully Chuck had and decided to address it. "He can be something of a dick." Chuck added just before a voice called out from the other room-

"I can easily cancel all of your porn memberships, Charles. Just remember that." Chuck blushed and Sam only laughed and shook his head. Even when Kevin wasn't being a complete dick to everyone else, he still joked around with Chuck, teasing him just like a brother should.

"What brings you two in today?" He managed to ask through the embarrassment. Sam looked at Gabriel, who looked right back at Sam, as if waiting for him to explain the situation.

"We just came in to talk, see if everything was-"

"Nope." Gabriel not only interrupted him, but stuck- no, shoved- two fingers into Sam's mouth and hooked them to the side, disabling him from talking properly without looking ridiculous. Sam glared at him, thinking to himself how he would get himself out of this one.

"What Sammy here meant to say," Gabriel began. He locked eyes with Sam and kissed his nose again before he continued. "Is that he's looking for that new book that came out by little Samsquatch's favorite author."

Chuck looked from one of the men to the other, his eyes lingering uncomfortably on Gabe's fingers in Sam's mouth before he forced a smile and stood up. He retrieved a book off of a rack near the front of the sitting room, by the register, and brought it over to Sam. Sam didn't move when he held it out, so Gabriel took it instead.

"Thanks." He said. Finally unhooking his fingers from Sam's mouth, Gabriel flipped through the book and pressed it roughly to Sam's chest. "Merry Christmas, babe."

Gabriel grabbed Sam by the collar by the shirt and kissed him, hard, their teeth almost clashing together. Chuck cleared his throat after a moment, and Sam managed to unlatch Gabriel from him.

"Sorry, Chuck. Gabe just likes making people uncomfortable." He shot a look at Gabe, who winked at him again. Gabriel had no shame sometimes, Sam had noticed. He also noticed the fact that once he was more comfortable around Sam, Gabriel had become a bit bolder in public.

"Chuck's always uncomfortable," Kevin turned the corner with a cup of coffee in his hands. "Around two real people expressing real sexual interest in each other." He sounded entirely bored, and Sam saw Gabriel smile wide at Kevin, who lifted his glass at him in return.

Chuck's face turned a bright red and he turned to stare at Kevin through his glasses. Kevin only gave him a smirk as he walked towards Gabriel. He held out his hand. Gabriel shook it without hesitation when he slid off of Sam's lap and into a standing position.

"Sorry about earlier." Kevin said. He gestured to his coffee. "Needed my caffeine."

Gabriel nodded, but didn't say anything. Sam stood up beside him as well, leaving Chuck in his arm chair, still embarrassed by everything that had just happened. Kevin spoke again before anyone else could.

"You're coming to the Harvelle's for Christmas with Sam, right?" Gabriel nodded and Kevin smiled. He pushed passed the two of them and stood over by the register. They all stared at one another before Kevin rolled his eyes.

"Are you going to pay for that or what?"

After paying and bidding the bookstore boys goodbye, Gabriel walked out with Sam and Sam's new book tucked away in a bag. Sam squeezed Gabriel's hand in one quick pulse, and the baker looked up to his moose.

"Whoa, whoa." Gabe cooed when Sam sniffled, and Gabriel led him gently away from the middle of the sidewalk. He lifted his hands to cup Sam's face. "What's wrong?" Gabe's voice was soft, and Sam tried to look away, but his head was being held in place.

He didn't want Gabe to see him cry. He didn't want Gabe to see him cry just because Gabriel bought him something. And he especially didn't want Gabe to see him cry just because he bought him a book. It was stupid, but there he stood, all 6' 4" of him, in front of little 5' 8" Gabriel, almost in tears.

"Sammy." Gabriel spoke in a soft tone, leaning into Sam, pressing the taller man against the side of the building. Sam sighed with content and pressed his lips to Gabriel's hair.

"It's okay. You're fine." He started up again. Sam wanted to say something. He wanted to tell Gabriel thank you, or perhaps how much he loved the gift. But he couldn't find the right words. "You let me become part of your family. It's the least I could do."

"Thanks, Gabe." Sam managed to squeak out into Gabriel's hair. And he really, truly, meant it

Sam sat down the book, not bothering to mark his place, and peered over Gabriel's head to see what he was doing. Gabriel held an old Gameboy in his hands, one that Sam had managed to salvage for him from a thrift store, and was playing some retro Pokemon game.

"Finished already?" Gabe mumbled absentmindedly. Sam only rolled his eyes at how little attention Gabriel paid sometimes, but kissed his partner on the top of the head.

"Yeah, I'm finished."

Sam had gone over to Gabriel's after work, and it was a special occasion indeed. It was the first time that Sam had seen Gabriel's apartment, though Gabe had been in the Winchesters several times. Now that Dean had a job and had to sleep, Sam tried to stay out of the house as much as possible.

"Hey, Gabe." Gabriel groaned and rolled off of Sam and the couch, flopping to the floor, when Sam nudged his back to get him to move.

"Noooooo, Sammy, you enormous dick, I forgot to save!" It was almost impossible to not laugh at the whine that came out of Gabriel's mouth, but Sam managed as he stepped over his mate, who was now sprawled out on his belly in defeat, to head towards the kitchen.

"We've gotta go Christmas shopping." As soon as the words left Sam's mouth, Gabriel was on his feet and sliding his shoes and coat on at the door. The Gameboy sat forgotten on the couch where Gabriel had tossed it when he stood up.

"Well then, hurry up, kiddo!" Gabriel rushed him out the door not five minutes later, and then they were at the mall on the other side of the town.

"Jesus… sometimes I wonder why the hell you get so excited for shopping." Sam grumbled when they walked into the mall. Gabriel patted Sam down as he tried to get the snow off of the both of them, though missed a few spots.

Sam knew it was true, though. Gabriel hated being cooped up in any place for too long and shopping was just one way to get out and keep himself occupied for a few hours at a time. Sam didn't complain, or mind as much as he would if it had been someone else. Whatever Gabe wanted, Gabe got with those big brown puppy dog eyes.

Sam looked down at Gabe, who was grumbling to himself with a furrowed brown as they stood in the middle of a department store. Sam had tried several times to drag him off in one direction to no avail.

"I have no idea what to get anyone." He heard Gabriel groan and saw him roll his eyes. Sam gave him a smirk and kissed his forehead.

"Gift cards always work if we end up not getting anything, hon." Sam replied. He knew that his family wouldn't care if they got them a few boxes with holes cut in them. That wasn't what their Christmas was about, even though it was a very fun part of it. Gabriel only huffed and stalked off in a random direction. Sam followed, and Gabriel had managed to lead them to an aisle of books.

"Perfect!" Sam said as he hugged Gabe from behind. "This covers Kevin, Chuck, and Ash!"

"Well, Ash, maybe, but Chuck and Kevin work- and live- in a book store. Wouldn't that be…" Gabriel paused, looking around and poking through a few books. "Redundant?"

Sam shoved him playfully to the side and thrust a book he had picked up (It's title was in what looked like Latin, which Gabriel wasn't too fluent in. He also wondered why it was sitting in the middle of some shitty department store instead of being in a book store, but he didn't say anything) towards Gabe.

"You're redundant." Sam dragged Gabriel, who was now less-than-enthusiastic about shopping, out of that store and into another.

"My feelings are deeply bruised, Samoose."

"That's a new one."

"Damn right."

After almost an hour of searching, the pair of them had managed to find one item for each of the Winchester family members that was sure to show up for Christmas. Gabriel himself wasn't too proud of what he picked out, but Sam assured him that they would love it.

"Pizza?" Asked Sam as they loaded themselves and their bags into the car. Gabriel nodded in reply.

Garth greeted them at the door with a hug. Not two, just one. He gathered them both up at once and tightened his arms around them. Sam laughed at the confusion on Gabriel's face when Garth pulled away. This is bound to be interesting, he thought to himself as Garth started babbling something about it being 'so great to finally meet Gabriel' and lead them to a booth seat. Gabe's sass and Garth's… Garth.

Clashing personalities aside, Garth sat down with them while they ate without invitation, right beside Gabriel.

"Everyone says that." Gabe said after Garth mentioned again how great it was to finally meet him. He looked at Sam. "Big guy over here must yap about me a lot."

"Oh…well, only occasionally." Garth gave Sam an obvious wink, which was of course caught by Gabe, and Gabe only smiled. Sam chewed on the straw of his soda. Of course, what had he even been worried about? These two losers would make the best of friends in the strangest way.

After an hour of pizza, terrible jokes, and Garth popping out Mr. Fizzles at Gabriel's request, Sam had managed to drag his boyfriend away from the scrawny man and the pizza shop. They got along famously, and after they had gotten into the car and begun heading home, Gabriel had said

"I liked him."

Sam squeezed his hand.

"Good."

Gabriel was in the back room, counting the bags of flour that was left, when he happened to glance over at the camera's that gave him a clear view into the front room. There was something familiar about the dark haired man that had just entered the shop.

He looked confused, as if he was wondering why he had come to Graceless in the first place. Gabriel watched as the strange man, who was wearing two hoodies for some odd reason, walked up the counter and leaned in uncomfortably close to the cashier.

Gabriel couldn't read his lips, or hear him, but seconds later his name was being called.

"Gabe, someone named Castiel is here to see you."

His smile faded in less than a second. Of course the man out there looked familiar. It may have been years, but one never forgets what their little brother looks like. Gabriel stood still until the cashier girl pushed him a little rougher than he would have hoped towards the front lobby.

After taking a second to compose himself, Gabe cleared his throat and walked out to face the brother he left all those years ago.

"Gabriel." Castiel grumbled in a low voice. Gabe narrowed his eyes, mimicking the broody look Castiel had on his face.

"And what the hell are you doing here?" He planned on saying something kind, something nice, but changed his mind last minute. He deserved answers.

Castiel tilted his head as if asking Gabe a question, all the while Gabe raised his arms as a challenge. Customers had stopped to stare at the exchange, but Gabriel didn't know or care.

"I came here for you, brother." Gabriel scoffed at Castiel's matter of fact tone. "I have been looking for you for a long, long time."

"Sorry to disappoint, little bro, but I don't want anything from you or dad, so you can just-" Gabriel turned around and started walking back into the back room, but Castiel's words stopped him cold.

"I haven't spoken to our father in a year."

He turned around slowly and just stared at Castiel. Was it true? His little brother had been so loyal, always, to their father. Just as Michael had been, just as Lucifer had wanted to be. He didn't agree with much of what their dad did or said, but he still followed him blindly, like a puppy dog.

Cashier girl told Gabriel he could take a break if he needed to, and so he led Castiel upstairs to his apartment. He let Cas look around a bit, noting how confused he looked at some things. Gabriel took a seat on the couch. He didn't say anything to Castiel. He just waited for him to start talking.

"I was not just looking for you, you know." Castiel began with a sigh. He took a seat far too close to Gabe on the couch. "I searched for Lucifer first, but I'm afraid hands have come up empty."

"No shit." Gabriel knew Lucifer all too well to know that he would never be found. "Cas, you know Lucifer. If he doesn't want to be found, he'll make sure as hell he won't be found."

"Does this mean you wanted to be found, Gabriel?" Castiel tilted his head, but his eyes were no longer narrowed. Gabriel scoffed at him.

"Of course not, you dick!" He stood up in defense and started to pace the room. Gabriel's patience with Castiel was wearing thin already, and he had started to become anxious. "Why were you looking for us, anyway?

Castiel rolled his eyes and stood up as well. He didn't seem to understand the fact that Gabriel did not want him closer than a few feet, so he stood beside his shaking brother before he replied.

"I left home, just like you two. I thought you would be…" He paused and looked at Gabriel with pleading eyes. Gabe, of course, was becoming a little angrier by the second just at how much taller Castiel had gotten than him. "Proud of me, perhaps. I no longer agreed with our father's way of life, so when I turned eighteen I just… left."

Gabriel was only half listening. He could only stare Castiel up and down (More up than down, really, because he was almost as tall as Sam's brother, Dean.) and think to himself how this all came to be.

"And yet you, and all of the others still over there following his every fucking word, only chose to leave instead of telling him what a huge fucking dick he's being?" Gabriel shouted. He had managed to back the ever so non-confrontational Castiel into a corner, and although Gabe was shorter, Castiel looked completely terrified at his brother's wrath.

This didn't stop him from retorting angrily.

"I followed in Luficer's footsteps, and yours!" Castiel shoved Gabriel backwards half-heartedly. "If neither of you told him how you really felt, why should I?"

Gabriel didn't back away, but instead shoved Castiel back much harder than he had been shoved himself.

"If you came here to make me feel fucking guilty about leaving you guys and dad then get the hell out of my house." This didn't come out angry as much as it did sorrowful and exasperated. Gabriel cursed himself under his breath for letting his emotions get the best of him.

"I came here," Castiel breathed heavily. He wasn't winded, but in shock that Gabriel would think that of him. "To say that I am sorry for the way our father treated you. I came here to tell you that you are still my brother and we are still family."

That was enough for Gabriel. He suddenly grabbed Castiel by the shirt collar and dragged him out the door.

The puzzled look his brother gave him when Gabriel punched him in the face would always be burned into Gabe's head.

It only took three seconds of Gabriel pounding and banging on the Winchester's front door at ten in the morning for Dean to roll off of the couch and answer it. He had planned on shouting in his brother's boyfriends face, but after seeing the puffy-eyed Gabriel's look of anger and sadness, he stepped aside to let him in.

Gabriel practically kicked Sam's door in as he rushed in and leaped into bed with the Winchester. Sam groaned at the pressure on his side, and jumped up out of his sleep when he realized that wasn't a feeling in his dreams.

"Gabey?" He mumbled. Turning to his side, Sam didn't have time to say anything else before Gabriel sandwiched himself against his chest and started sobbing again. The only thing that he could do was wrap his arms around his partner and coo into his ear.

"You're okay, Gabriel." He whispered through Gabe's hair. Gabriel's shoulders were shaking and Sam's hands pulled him closer. "Just try to go to sleep, okay?"

Sam started humming one of Gabriel's favorite songs. Gabriel joined him in a weak drone mid-chorus just before managing to fall asleep in Sam's arms.

"You're off key when you're falling asleep. Have I told you that yet?"

"Three times."

Sam heaved a sigh as he took a sip from his coffee. Gabriel had been sulking all morning (And, if Sam was being completely honest, he had been sulking on and off for the past three days) and nothing Sam tried was cheering him up at all. It was beginning to frustrate him.

"Look, babe, you need to-" Sam began, but was cut off by Gabriel snapping at him.

"No, fuck you, I don't need to do shit." Sam knew Gabriel didn't mean to get short with him just by the guilty and pained expression on his face. He sighed again and grabbed for Gabriel's hand. Gabe shook him off.

"Leave me alone." Gabe stood up out of his seat and grabbed his coat before he started to walk towards the door of the Winchester apartment. Sam got to his feet and stood in front of the door so Gabriel was unable to get out.

"Absolutely not."

Before Gabriel could object Sam already had his arms wrapped around him tight. Gabriel tensed up as if he was getting ready to struggle, but thought better of the idea and went limp in Sam's arms. They stood like that for a minute until Gabriel made a small squeaking noise and pulled away, stalking over to sit on the couch. Sam noticed he had started to cry silently again and his heart broke.

"Fine. Just… fine." Gabriel admitted defeat when Sam came and sat down next to him. He curled himself up in Sam's' lap and started speaking.

"You know I'm not very close to my family- any of them, not just dad." Sam nodded. "I have- well, I had three older brothers. Michael, Lucifer-" Sam tried not to scoff at the ridiculousness of that name. "And Raphael. I love my dad, my brothers. Love them. But watching them turn on each other? Tear at each other's throats? I couldn't bear it. So, I left.

"Dad was… well, he was an asshole that didn't care about family as much as he cared about having as many kids as possible. Mike, Luce, Raph and I are the only ones that share a mom and dad. The rest of those Novaks you always hear about getting into trouble, those are just half-siblings and cousins and… whatever. Something like that.

"Dad tried to get us all to move in together. All of us. I hated it, because I knew dad didn't give any shits about any of us and all the other people were so fucking blinded by his celebrity status and his money that they didn't care. I thought I could count on Michael to talk some sense into him, but he locked me and Lucifer in a closet for five hours when we tried to bring everything up to him. He told us," Gabriel paused and closed his eyes. "We didn't really love dad and didn't deserve to be part of the family if we didn't "follow orders".

"Lucifer was so fed up with the bullshit that he left. He offered for me to come with him but I… I don't know why I stayed. I don't know. Lucifer and I were closer than any of the others, but I still decided to turn my back on him and stay. I lasted a fucking day there without him, Sammy. A day. I was six fucking teen."

"What do you mean?" Sam held the shaking Gabriel close to him.

"When I ran away. I had to endure Raph and Mike taunting me and teasing me, because they knew Lucifer wasn't there to stop them, and I had to sit up late at night listening to them talk about how worthless Lucifer was and I couldn't take it. I tucked tail and I ran like a little bitch.

"If Luce could see me now…" Gabriel chuckled to himself through his sobs. "God, he'd probably kick my ass and ask me what the hell I was doing, following in his footsteps."

"I'm so sorry, Gabriel." Muttered Sam when he kissed Gabriel on the forehead. "Is that why you've been so upset?"

"Partially. I mean…" Gabriel groaned and pressed his face into the front of Sam's shirt. Sam pet his hair gently before he started talking again. "One of my younger brothers showed up yesterday and I didn't handle it well at all.

"His name is Castiel. He's nineteen. He left home when he turned 18 and told me he's been trying to find Lucifer and I for the past year, but of course Lucifer must have changed his name after he left. He wouldn't want to be known as a Novak anymore. He tried to apologize and I told him… God, Sammy! I told him he should have stood up to Dad even though Lucifer and I didn't. And then I…"

"Gabe?" Sam turned Gabriel's face towards him with a finger after Gabriel didn't finish his sentence after a few seconds. Gabriel looked troubled. "What did you do?"

"I punched him."

"Gabriel!"

"I'm sorry, okay!?" he mumbled in reply. Sam could feel that he stopped shaking, thankfully, and hugged him tight. He was just glad that Gabriel had finally told him about his family. Gabriel let Sam into that part of his life that he didn't share with just anyone.

"I know, I know." Sam tilted Gabe's head up and kissed him gently. Gabriel seemed to melt in his arms and shimmied up Sam's body. He curled himself around Sam, arms around his neck and legs on either side of his hips.

Sam whispered two words into the kiss after Gabriel pressed himself harder against Sam's body.

"Thank you."

"God, I hate you."

Gabriel held his cell phone to his ear the next day, listening to the ringing like it was counting down the seconds down to his doom. Sam sat beside him with his hand resting on Gabriel's thigh. He gave a reassuring squeeze.

"No, you don't." Sam replied in a steady voice. After a few hours of arguing back and forth, Sam had finally gotten Gabriel to agree to look Castiel up in the phone book and give him a call to apologize. Gabriel was adamant about definitely not calling and apologizing to Castiel. Sam found out that day just how easy it was to persuade Gabe with a few kisses and his big blue eyes.

"What if he doesn't-" Gabriel took in a sharp breath and looked to Sam with pleading eyes. He mouthed "he answered" before returning to his phone conversation. Sam didn't remove his hand from Gabe's thigh, but leaned in closer and laid his head on his shoulder, trying to hear the other side of the phone call.

"Yeah, hey, Castiel it's- yeah, Gabriel, hey." Sam listened closer, but could only hear gentle murmuring from the other side. Instead, he focused on Gabriel's face and his reactions to Castiel's words.

"No, no… Castiel. Cas. Castiel." Gabriel was trying to get his brothers attention. "Stop talking for a second okay? No, wait, why are youapologizing?" Sam nudged Gabriel and cocked his head in a question. Gabe pressed a finger to his lips.

"Sure, fine, yeah. Listen, Castiel, I just wanted to-" Gabriel rolled his eyed. "Yes, Castiel, I accept your apology. I just wanted to say I'm really sorry for- for punching you in the face."

Gabriel was silent for a second, and wasn't giving Sam any reliable facial cues, so Sam nuzzled his partner neck comfortingly.

"Thanks, Castiel." His voice became significantly lower. Sam squeezed his thigh again only to have Gabriel swat at him and tell him to be quiet again even though he wasn't saying anything.

"Invite him over for Christmas." Sam whispered into Gabriel's unoccupied ear. Gabriel jumped at the suggestion and must have forgotten he was on the phone with his brother, because he nearly shouted "What the hell is wrong with you!?" into the receiver.

"No, not you, just, can you hang on for a second?"

"Why are you acting like I just asked you to blow the devil?" Sam couldn't help but sound irritated, because he was, after Gabriel put Cas on mute and turned to address Sam.

"Because, Sam! I can't stand him. I can't stand my family. I don't ever want to see him again! I'm just calling him because you're a huge dope and have me wrapped around your freakishly long fingers." Gabriel seemed to get that all out in one breath and looked accusingly at Sam, who only tilted his head and leaned closer to Gabe.

"Baby, please." His voice was low and he knew that Gabriel would agree after only a few seconds of him begging. "I want to be a part of your life and for that to happen, I have to meet your family regardless of if you like it or not.

Gabriel held his breath, and after a few seconds of Sam inching closer to him, he sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Castiel, yeah. Sorry about that. Say, I would love if you could join my boyfriend and I- yes Castiel I'm gay. Yes, I know that's fantastic. Listen can you just let me talk? Stop apologizing." Gabriel looked at Sam and mouthed the words "I'm going to kill you". Sam stuck his tongue out at Gabe.

"Would you mind joining us for Christmas tomorrow night? Sam and I- yes his name is Sam may I continue with my sentence? We would be really happy if you could join us." Sam covered his mouth to stifle his snicker at Gabriel's sneer into the phone. There was nothing funny about this, but Gabe made the most adorable faces.

"Okay. Yes. Got it. Thanks." Gabriel cringed at whatever Castiel had on the other end. "Sure, Castiel. You too."

"What did he say?" Sam pried when Gabriel had hit the end button on the phone to discontinue the call. Gabriel shot him a venomous look.

"I guess you get to meet my little brother tomorrow, Samoose." Grumbled a very unhappy Gabriel into Sam's shoulder. Sam nuzzled his hair with his nose and made a face that Gabriel couldn't see.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be fine."

He hated lying to Gabriel, but really, what choice did he have?


	9. Christmas

Christmas Eve was as eventful as one would normally assume at the Harvelle holiday house. The second to last guest, the Winchesters and Gabriel, arrived to a house full of their favorite people.

"Where'd you pick up this beauty?" Sam asked Ash, admiring the seven foot tall tree that stood in the corner of the living room, illuminated by strings of multicolored Christmas lights.

"That little place that doubles as a pumpkin patch in October." Replied Ash in a tired voice. Sam remarked to himself for the third time since he had gotten there how tired he looked. Although, much like Kevin, who was rambling off some general nerdism to Charlie over by the kitchen, Ash had a habit of hitting the books a little harder than he could handle.

Sam turned towards his brother who was in the middle of watching some Christmas movie special on the television for that had been on all day.

"Have you seen Gabe?" Sam offered as a conversation starter. Gabriel had managed to slip off somewhere elsewhere in the house and Sam, while he wasn't actively looking for his boyfriend, hadn't seen him and was becoming worried.

Dean shook his head without turning to look at Sam.

"Nope, haven't seen him in…" Dean looked at his watch and made a face. "Since we got here." His attention returned to the cheesy special and Sam was left to his own devices, as he looked around and noticed everyone else was occupied with something.

Sam wandered the house, excusing himself when he bumped into a slightly tipsy Chuck. His feet led him back outside where he found Gabriel sitting on the front porch with a red plastic cup full of eggnog.

"Hey, Gabey, why aren't you inside?" Sam asked as he approached Gabriel. Gabe turned to stare up at him, but his gaze wandered back to the inside of his cup.

"I'm really nervous." He grumbled. Sam put an arm around him and pulled him close, only to have Gabriel growl at him and pull away. This wasn't something that could be mended by a loving touch. The anxiety wouldn't go away until the moment passed, and Sam knew this.

"I know, babe. I know. But," Sam sighed as he pressed his lips to Gabriel's head. "Look on the bright side- at least it's just Castiel."

"Whatever." Sam frowned but pulled Gabriel close to him again, thankful that this time he didn't pull away. They sat like that for a long moment, Gabriel with his head lazily on Sam's shoulder and a cup of eggnog almost slipping out of his lax hand, and Sam, his brows furrowed with worried and his arm draped protectively over Gabe.

That's when they saw a beat up white car pulling up into the driveway. Sam noted the confused and disheveled looking man in the driver's seat. Judging by the way Gabriel stiffened when the man park and began walking up towards them, Sam assumed it was Castiel.

Gabriel stood up with help from Sam's shoulder. Pressure and a few fingernails digging into his skin made Sam grunt, but he didn't shake Gabriel off, and stood up as well. He groped for Gabriel's hand only to be shaken away. Looking down, he noticed Gabe's hands had become fists, and had a feeling that he would have to intervene in a fight later that day.

Castiel stepped out of his car and immediately almost fell onto his ass. Sam stifled a laugh when Gabe shot him an angry look.

"Sorry." He mumbled into his hand when Gabriel looked back towards Castiel, who had regained his balance quickly and stood in his place. He stared at them through thick black glasses before he peeled his eyes away to open the back door of his car.

From the backseat he pulled out a medium sized duffle bag. Gabriel choked on his own breath.

"_I never asked him to stay the night!" _Sam saw that Gabe was now looking up at him with pleading eyes. Sam furrowed his brow sympathetically. The pain that he saw in Gabriel's eyes hurt _him_, and he was beginning to agree that inviting Castiel was a terrible idea.

"Maybe he's just…" Sam tried to think of some other reason that Castiel may have brought a duffel bag to the Harvelle's, but none of his ideas would make Gabe any happier.

Sam was unable to finish his sentence, because Castiel was finally standing in front of the two of them, his eyes flickering from Gabriel to Sam, and back again.

"Gabriel."

Gabriel crossed his arms against his chest defensively. Sam at least tried to be friendly and held out his hand, faking a smile. In the back of his mind, he was becoming even more worried by the second.

"Castiel, it's so great to meet you." Castiel looked down at his hand as if he was confused by the gesture. Sam's cheeks burned with embarrassment, and he cleared his throat. He returned his hand to his side, nudging Gabriel in the side with his elbow as he did so.

Gabriel flinched and glared at him out of the corner of his eye. He clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, but eventually looked back up from his feet to Castiel, whose eyes hadn't left Sam's face. Sam squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze. It was like he was _judging_ him, for whatever reason.

He probably was, as Sam thought more about it. After all, he was dating Castiel's older brother.

"It's good to see you, Castiel." Gabriel muttered through his clenched teeth. Castiel narrowed his eyes, obviously not very pleased with his brother's reaction, but stepped forward and wrapped Gabriel in an unsuspected hug.

Sam was unsure how Gabriel would react, but he assumed that it any form of affection from his brother would be unwelcome. He could only stare on helplessly as Gabriel grunted and shrugged away from Castiel's arms.

"Thanks- Thanks Cas."

"Thank you for inviting me, Sam." Castiel ignored Gabriel, and turned back to Sam, which didn't sit well with either of them.

Sam cleared his throat. He felt around for Gabe's hand, and upon finding it, he squeezed it hard. This helped Gabriel relax a bit, although Sam could still feel how tense his boyfriend was.

"Yeah, of course, any time, Castiel. It's great to meet you."

The three of them, Sam and Gabriel in the lead, walked awkwardly inside. They were greeted by Garth, who threw his arms around the both of them before he even noticed Castiel standing very confused behind them, staring down to the floor.

"Hey there, you strange little man!" Before Sam or Gabriel could stop him, Garth flung himself at Castiel and welcomed him with a hug. Castiel jumped and his eyes grew furiously wide, but there was no way for him to stop one of Garth's rib-crushing hugs.

"You must be Castiel. Gabe told us you'd be coming. And let me tell you," Garth lowered his voice dramatically, but Sam knew that he was only doing that for show, and he wasn't really about say anything secretive. "Your brother? Is a _blast_."

Castiel nodded. There wasn't much else he could do, really, and Sam had to stop himself from laughing at him a second time. He was aware of the wrath he would have to face from Gabriel if he did.

"I'm Garth Fitzgerald IV, by the way. Not sure if my boys here mentioned me yet." He gestured jokingly to the pair that stood in front of him and Castiel. Gabriel looked at Sam and mouthed _What is he doing_, but Sam could only shrug. Sometimes, Garth was a lot weirder than normal.

He grew on you, though.

Castiel shrugged his shoulders as well, though in response to Garth. He was looking back at his feet again. All of this attention on him was clearly making him uncomfortable. Sam felt slightly bad for him. He was being pushed into this life suddenly. It certainly wasn't what he was expecting when he had gotten back in touch with Gabriel.

"Well, anyway." Garth smiled wide at all of them and waved as he walked away, back towards the kitchen and Chuck, who had finally consumed enough alcohol to be considered drunk and was now giggling at something Jo was talking about.

"Nice to meet you!" He called over his shoulder.

Castiel looked up and smiled shyly at no one in particular. "You seem to have a lot of friends already, Gabriel."

"It's Sam's family. So they're my family too."

Sam looked down at Gabriel and tried to hide the shock on his face. Of course, he was very happy that Gabriel had called them his family, but it seemed like a threatening thing to say to your own brother. If he had been saying that to Dean, or vice versa, one of them would end up with a black eye and bloody nose.

Fortunately, Castiel took this lightly. He cleared his throat, finally taking a second to look around the room. The three of them stood in silence, Gabriel shifting back and forth from one foot to another, and Sam trying his damned hardest not to say anything to anger Gabriel, who was clearly in an uncomfortable place that moment.

"Why don't we, uh…" Sam cleared his throat and gestured towards the main living room. "Let's go sit down, we're still kinda standing in the doorway."

Gabriel didn't object when Sam led him away by the hand to the couch. Dean, who hadn't moved from the spot that Sam had left him in, didn't take much notice of them.

Sam noticed he did a double take when Castiel walked into the room, but only for a second before returning to the television.

"So, Castiel." Gabriel began. This surprised Sam, the fact that he was initiating conversation with the same brother he had punched in the face. "What's, uh… What's been going on with you? You told me you left Dad's over a year ago. So, what have you been doing since then?"

"I've been looking for you." The confusion in Castiel's tone was something that Sam found absolutely hilarious. It seemed like he was confused about pretty much everything. How much time did this kid spend _inside?_

"No, you idiot." Gabriel sucked in a breath through his teeth. Sam patted his hand reassuringly. Gabe sighed before speaking again. "What have you been doing with your life, I mean."

"Oh." Castiel rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and let his eyes dart around the room. Dean had stopped watching "It's a Wonderful Life" and was now paying attention to their conversation. Castiel's back was to him, but Sam couldn't help but notice that he was staring directly at the back of Castiel's head.

Weird.

"I'm in school, now. I, uh…" Castiel bit his lip and shifted under the gaze of both Sam and Gabriel (And Dean, but he wasn't aware of that yet). "I work from home. And take class from home. And shop from home."

Gabriel looked over his shoulder to Sam, who was just as confused. Turning his attention back to Castiel, he said, "So… when do you leave your house?"

"Oh, I don't."

The painful smile on Castiel's face made Sam's stomach twist. There had to be something seriously mentally wrong with him, but it was impossible for Sam to bring up his worries to Gabriel without Gabriel becoming defensive. Sometimes, the way Gabe flip-flopped with his feelings pissed Sam off.

That was something he kept to himself, too.

"Jesus, Castiel." The worry in Gabriel's voice made Sam smile and he touched his fingers lightly to Gabe's back. "Well, go!" Gabriel gestured to the rest of the room. The people milling around were drunk and happy, sharing the Christmas joy. Dinner was almost ready, by the sound of it. "You're supposed to socialize at a party, you know."

Castiel didn't move from his seat. He tilted his head.

"I was not aware." He spoke with scary precision, tiptoeing over his words carefully. Dean laughed, which elicited an unhappy glance from Gabriel.

But it was no surprise that Castiel was serious when he said he was "not aware". After establishing not only how messed up the Novak clan was, but how introverted Castiel was, how could one assume he had been to any kind of party before?

Gabriel sighed and shook his head. There was so much work to do with this one.

"Uh, hey, Ash!" Sam caught sight of the mullet-headed MENSA member, flagging him down just before he made his way back into the kitchen. Castiel seemed like he enjoyed an intelligent conversation, and who else could provide that but Ash?

"What's up, freaky dude?" Ash raised his hand for a high five from Castiel. Of course, the recluse had no idea what to do and only stared at him. Ash only shook his head and clapped his raised hand to Castiel's back, the force sloshing his beer around in his other hand.

"Who's the pale scared guy?" He asked when he looked to Gabriel. Gabriel's head was in his hands and now it was his turn to try and stifle his laughter. Sam rubbed a hand on his shoulder, and kissed the back of his head. Blue eyes stared them quizzically through big glasses, and Sam thought Castiel looked kind of like an owl.

"He's Castiel."

"Oh, yeah! Baker dude's brother." Ash nodded his approval to a still very much confused Castiel, who hadn't moved his eyes away from Sam. A loud noise came from the kitchen, and the four men on the couch turned to stare.

Of course, it was Garth. Sam rolled his eyes so hard you could almost hear it. One wouldn't think that a man could get so drunk so fast. Garth was an exception. After only one beer, he was tripping over his own two feet.

More than normal, at least.

"Hell yeah!" Ash pumped his fist in the air triumphantly. "It ain't a party until Garth goes crazy!" He retreated back to the rest of the party, who were all now gathering in the dining room for dinner. Thankfully, Jo and Ellen were still sober enough to remove the food safely from the oven and place them on the table so the family could eat.

Sam lead Gabriel to the table, and Gabriel continuously looked back over his shoulder to make sure that Castiel was following them. They sat down at the table with Cas and Dean across from them. Sam snickered under his breath at how uncomfortable they both looked, Castiel because of the large group, and Dean possibly because of the strange pale man that had just come into their home.

Dinner went smoother than expected. Castiel was polite, and had even started opening up and making small talk with the rest of the family. He and Ash got along swell, much to Sam's surprise. It was certainly astonishing at how smart the two were.

There was a small pressure on his thigh, and when he looked down, he saw Gabriel white knuckling near his kneecap. Sam pressed his hand gently to Gabriel's and frowned at his boyfriend's expression.

"What's up?"

Gabriel didn't say anything, but glared at him briefly before returning his attention to the rest of the table. It hadn't slipped Sam's mind how poorly Gabriel reacted to having family over on Thanksgiving. Was it only a matter of time that he ended up in the bathroom again, on his knees and trying not to vomit again?

The silent prayer than Sam had been muttering to himself seemed to pull through, because by the end of the dinner, Gabriel was smiling and engaging in conversation with everyone, including his brother.

"Gabriel, have you had your wings removed, yet?" Castiel asked after Ash had finally taken off to help Garth into bed. Wings? What was Castiel talking about?

Sam looked to Gabriel for answers, but instead he found Gabriel looking more than red in the face. He looked _furious_.

"Don't ask stupid questions." Gabriel's words were breathed angrily through his teeth.

Castiel tilted his head and leaned closer to Gabriel from over the table, like he was trying to analyze if his older brother was hiding something from him. "Your wings, Gabriel. The tattoos that you got with our brothers. I don't see how this is a stupid question."

It was much too late for Sam to remove Gabriel from the table and try to calm him down. The baker was already shaking where he sat, and Sam looked shocked to find Gabriel had begun to cry.

"_Our_ brothers? You didn't even _know them_, so you shut your caketrap!" Gabriel pounded his fists on the table. Those that hadn't noticed the confrontation before were definitely looking now, and Sam felt his face burning hot with embarrassment. He hadn't suspected things would go this bad.

How he hated being wrong with such important things.

"They were my brothers, too, Gabriel! Not just yours!" It surprised Sam how defensive Castiel got, the scared and timid looking man raising his voice. It also surprised Sam the way that Dean lept up out of his seat to join at Castiel's side. What was up with is brother?

"Castiel!" Sam yanked Gabriel back by the sleeve of his shirt. There was no need for violence, and Gabriel had punched Castiel before. He wouldn't hesitate to do it again. "That's enough, okay?! You're making him uncomfortable!"

"Making _him_ uncomfortable, Sammy?" Sam cast Dean a confused look when his older brother jumped into the argument, as if this was something he was a part of. "Dude, the guy just gets here and all of a sudden we're jumping his bones like he's a fucking criminal!"

"What the fuck, Dean?" Dean threw Sam a sassy look. Gabriel flinched under Sam's hand, which was still balled tightly around his sleeve. "He obviously knows how Gabriel feels about their family, so why does he feel the need to bring it up?"

"You know what-"

Dean began, but he's cut off by the sound of a loud toy blow horn. A few others swore along with Castiel, and covered their ears. Sam turned to look and see who had brought the end of the argument, only to find Jo standing there with her arm raised, and in her hand a red blow horn.

Two hands yanked Gabriel and Sam back from the table. Despite their yowls of protest, Charlie refused to let them go. Sam hated when she treated them as if they were children, but he supposed that it was their fault it had come to this. Charlie finally let her hands fall slack enough for them to wriggle away, turning to confront her.

Before they could say anything, she held her hands up for silence.

"Guys." She sighed, slinging her arms around them both. "If you can't play nice, don't play at all."

With that, she closed their bedroom door behind her and went back to join the others, possibly to console Castiel.

Gabriel threw himself face-first down on the bed and shouted profanities into a pillow. Sam's hand rubbing his back soothed him for about five minutes until he sat up and leaned into him.

"That went well." He mumbled into the curve of Sam's neck.

Sam only chuckled and kissed the top of his head. "Of course it did, babe."

The pair sat in silence, listening through the walls in case anything eventful happened in the other room. Gabriel was in Sam's lap; humming song to himself to help calm him down, and Sam periodically rubbed his back.

"Gabey?" Sam crooned after a while. Gabriel's breathing had become heavy, leaving Sam to assume he had fallen asleep on his chest. Gabe shifted and groaned at the sound of Sam's voice.

"Mmm. What's up, kiddo?" He raised a hand and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before looking up at Sam.

Sam was at a loss for words. For the third time that week, he couldn't help but think about how much he loved Gabriel. Not that he could ever tell him. Oh, no, that couldn't happen. It was too soon, and if he was being completely honest with himself, Sam thought that Gabriel was the type to flee from commitment.

"Uh." Sam cleared his throat. "I'm going to go talk to Castiel, okay?"

This got Gabriel's attention. He was fully alert in less than three seconds flat, adamantly shaking his head and crossing his arms against his hest.

"Hells no, bucko. That ain't happening."

"And why not?"

Sam scoffed when Gabriel rolled his eyes at him. Sometimes his boyfriend could be so flexible. Other times (And more often than not, really) he was as stubborn as Dean was.

"Because he's an asshole!" Gabriel's weak attempt to argue was wasted on Sam, whose mind had already been made up since the moment he opened his mouth.

"We're assholes, too, Gabe." Came his reply. It was true. They hadn't acted as civilly as Sam had hoped they would, and even if Gabriel didn't feel bad about it, Sam sure did.

Gabriel didn't try to continue the conversation, but instead sat on their bed and stared judgingly at Sam as he walked out the door.

Three knocks on Castiel's door made his head perk up. He hadn't been expecting any visitors, and certainly Gabriel wouldn't come to apologize. That wasn't in his nature. He had apologized once with Sam's pleading, and there was no way it was going to happen again.

When Castiel opened the door, Sam greeted him with a shy smile. There were no hellos exchanged. Instead, Castiel stepped out of the way and let Sam through, gesturing to one of the seats that sat in the corner of the room.

"Castiel, listen-"

"No, Sam. I understand." Castiel grumbled in his abnormally deep voice. He returned to his seat on his bed. "I must apologize, as well. I shouldn't have brought up bad memories for Gabriel."

Sam nodded. He couldn't find the strength to look at Castiel. The possibility that it would make things 'awkward' was too great.

"Can I ask you, though… What's with the wings? I mean…" Shifting around uncomfortably and clearing his throat, Sam looked up at Castiel. "What exactly is it that made Gabe upset?"

Castiel, much to Sam's surprise, let loose a small smile and scoffed deep in his throat before replying. "He has wings tattooed on his back. His brothers have similar ones."

Not entirely understanding yet, Sam only nodded and waited to see if Castiel would continue.

"It's considered the brand of the real Novak's. Frankly, I find it pompous and self-righteous. It was Lucifer's idea. Gabriel looked up to him like no brother I've ever seen."

This brought up an image of Dean in Sam's head, and Sam was forced to think about what he would have done without his brother. No wonder Gabriel was always so hurt all the time. If he had a relationship with Lucifer that Sam had with Dean, even with all the head-butting and fights, of course he would be broken.

Sam just wished Gabriel himself gave him more insight into his life, instead of hearing it from Castiel.

"Well, uh…" Sam shook his head to clear his thoughts. For the first time, he noticed how frightened and out of place Castiel looked, and he felt terrible for the way he had shouted at him earlier that night. "Listen, Castiel, thanks. For coming here and for finding Gabriel. I think what he needs the most right now is his family."

Castiel looked up from his hands, which he was twisting together with worry. He narrowed his eyes at Sam. "He has made it clear, Sam, that you're his family now."

This, of course, only made Sam feel worse.

"Give him time." Standing up, Sam walked towards the door. Had the temperature leaped suddenly, or was it just the uncomfortable feeling he got coming off of Castiel? "I know he still cares about you. Just… give him time."

Gabriel was fast asleep by the time Sam got back to their room. It wasn't late, but Gabriel must have been extremely worn out from all of the excitement of that day. Sam didn't want to wake him up, but it was inevitable when he clambered in beside him.

"What did you say?" Gabriel crawled as close to Sam as he could, lying halfway on his chest. Gabriel's warmth sent shivers down Sam's spine.

Sam sighed into Gabriel's hair. There wasn't much to say, and frankly, Sam just wanted to get to sleep.

"Nothing, baby. Don't worry about it." He breathed. Gabriel shifted onto his elbows to glare playfully at Sam, one eyebrow raised.

"Lying, Sammy? Tsk tsk." Gabe clicked his tongue and leaned in to plant a small kiss on Sam's lips. "I don't wanna have to spank you, but I'll do it."

This empty threat was funnier than it was sexy, and thankfully Sam knew that that's exactly how Gabe intended it.

"Shut up." Sam chuckled, returning the kiss. "He apologized. I apologized. That's all." While that wasn't entirely a lie, Sam still felt bad for not telling Gabriel the whole truth.

Gabe didn't seem to notice the pause in his voice before he said "That's all", and snuggled back up on top of him to fall asleep.

Sam felt Gabriel shift around next to him later on in the night, but didn't bother to take any notice of it. As long as he didn't leave the bed, Sammy was content.

The smell of pancakes and bacon woke Gabriel up before Sam. He nuzzled Sam awake like an anxious puppy (not bothering to forget the loving licks to the face, something that Sam hated more than anything, but put up with because it was _Gabe, _after all, and if there was one thing that Sam had learned in the last month, it was that the both of them were just overgrown puppies.)

There was no rush to brush teeth or put on clothes. They laid around for another half an hour, exchanging lazy kisses and playful pokes and prods, one challenging the other to get out of bed first.

Whoever had started banging at their door as soon as they had just gotten comfortable again was the deciding factor on how their morning would go, and soon enough Gabriel rolled out of bed right after Sam. He didn't want to be away from his lover's side for even a second, something that made Sam much happier than it possibly should.

Gabriel had just finished tugging on one of Sam's oversized sweaters when he bumped absentmindedly into his brother as soon as he walked out of their bedroom.

Sam nearly crashed into Gabe, who had to stop abruptly from knocking a half-asleep Castiel over. It was in his right mind to usher Gabriel away before a fight broke out. Lord only knew that was the last thing they needed, but his worries were soon soothed and he saw Gabriel crack a half smile and nudge Castiel in a friendly way.

"Listen, Cassie," From the look on Castiel's face, Sam assumed that had to be some childhood nickname used to make him uncomfortable. "I'm sorry shit got heated last night. You know how it is."

"Yes, Gabriel." Castiel smiled, but in more of a confused fashion than an understanding one. "I do know 'how it is.' And I do forgive you."

No more words were exchanged between the two as they walked simultaneously down the hallway. Sam couldn't help but think that it really did feel like Christmas, now.

The living room welcomed them with all the holiday cheer it had to offer. Surveying his surroundings, Sam found Garth and Charlie decorating the tree, with Kevin drinking the first of five coffees Sam knew he would inevitably end up consuming.

Jo and Ash were nowhere to be found, though it was likely that they were outside with Dean in the snow. Bobby and Ellen could be heard in the kitchen bickering about something or another to do with breakfast, and Sam smiled.

This was home. This was family. And with Gabriel's snarky ass beside him, he couldn't imagine anything becoming any better.

"Hey, check it out! The honeymooners decided to roll out of bed!" Sam snapped his head around to find Chuck in nothing but his boxers and a robe, sipping coffee as well.

"Don't you wear anything but your underpants, Chuckster?" Gabe teased, only receiving an eyeroll in return. Thank God Gabriel found himself hilarious. It wasn't taken to heart at all, and when Chuck pushed past he wiggled his eyes playfully at Gabriel, who in turn looked at Sam and winked.

They all sat down for breakfast, Dean, Jo, and Ash storming inside as soon as Kevin called out to them that it was time to eat. They were covered in snow and Ellen snapped at them for not bothering to wash up before they came to the table.

Sam watched Gabriel's reactions carefully. Last night was fine, but there was no way for him to know how well or how poorly Gabriel would react to a large family breakfast on Christmas that included his own little brother.

Gabriel showed no signs of any bad reactions externally, thankfully, and when they stood up to clear the table, Sam wrapped him in a tight hug.

"What's up, Samoose?" Asked Gabriel, confused but not unaccepting of the surprise gesture of affection.

Sam only laughed and squeezed him tight once before letting him go.

"You're pretty."

Gabriel slapped him away playfully before he retreated to the living room with the rest of the family, who had started passing out gifts. Gabriel was surprised to find a fairly sizable pile with his name scrawled all over each of the presents.

At the end of all the wrapping paper and cards and warm words of thanks, the only person left without anything was Castiel, though he didn't seem to mind much. He was more or less observing everyone.

The interested look on his face reminded Sam of something, and he fished out a small rectangular box out of his pocket. He pressed it to Gabe's hand and nodded to Castiel when Gabriel turned to question him about it.

Castiel studied the box intently once Gabriel passed it over to him. Sam thought for a second that perhaps he couldn't comprehend the idea of a gift, but he eventually peeled his eyes away from it and carefully took apart its wrapping.

The box underneath revealed nothing more special than a gift card for Castiel to use at whatever store he pleased.

The embarrassment on Gabriel's brother's face was something that Sam hardly expected, but regardless, Castiel started blubbering something about needing to excuse himself.

He certainly had everyones attention when he returned with three jars of what Sam could only assume was honey. Castiel stumbled a few times and if it hadn't been for Dean, who stood up as soon as he saw him loose his footing, he would have dropped all three jars on the hardwood floor.

"I-I have honey. I bought it online. I have a dealer."

The idea of an online honey dealer sent a ripple of laughter through the rest of the crowed. All but Dean, of course, who was taking this much more serious than Sam had expected him to. Normally his brother would be laughing his ass off at something that ridiculous, but he stood at Castiel's side and glared at everyone else.

"Thanks, Cas. We really appreciate it." Gabriel said finally after wiping tears away from his eyes with the sleeve of the sweater he was wearing. He took the jars and sat them in the kitchen. Castiel let himself smile a little bit before taking a seat next to Dean, who had returned to sitting cross-legged on the floor.

There was nothing entirely eventful about the rest of the day. Sam was pleased to see that Gabriel and Castiel took some time to talk to each other like civilized people, but Sam and Dean both stood an arm's length away in case things got hairy.

The evening came without so much as the tiniest argument, much to Sam's relief. Charlie suggested board game that they all play, though most of the gang sat that one out and decided to just watch instead.

Castiel made a game of Clue about ten times more exciting than it would have been without him. He had obviously never played this before, mumbling to himself how he'd rather be playing Sorry or Twister. This left Sam to wonder who the hell he had been playing Twister with to begin with.

It was hard to ignore Dean, though, too. He continuously made wary glances towards Castiel, as if the younger man was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Sam made a mental note to ask Dean about that later, but for now, it was much more enjoyable to just watch Castiel become distraught when he didn't win Clue.

Sunset was approaching fast, and it had finally occurred to Sam that Christmas would soon be over and they would all have to go back to their normal lives, as unappealing as that sounded.

Thankfully for him, he had the greatest friend in the world.

Charlie pulled him aside before she retreated to her bedroom. The urgency on her face worried Sam a little bit.

"What's up?" He asked as his eyes darted around the room. If this was about Gabriel and Castiel fighting again, they would probably have to leave. That would be embarrassing.

But from where he and Charlie stood, he could see Gabriel in conversation with Garth, a huge smile plastered on his face. Okay, so it obviously wasn't _that_.

"You totally love him."

Sam's head snapped to the right as he turned back to face Charlie. Why did she have to sound so accusatory about it? It wasn't a crime to love someone, after all. He scoffed at her and rolled his eyes, but it was impossible to hide the rising heat in his cheeks. Had he really been that oblivious about it?

"Don't roll your eyes at me! It's not like it's some big secret, I mean," Charlie laughed quietly to herself. "You two are falling over each other every second of the day and he follows you like a puppy dog. It's disgusting."

Knowing that Charlie didn't mean that in a bad way at all, Sam shared in a little laughter himself.

"Yeah, well, I haven't told him yet, so just keep it to yourself, okay?" He pleaded with her. If there was one thing in the world he could do, it was trust Charlie.

Charlie only groaned at his request and squirmed, as though she was conflicted between keeping Sam's trust and spilling everything out to Gabriel. "Fine but you need to tell him before it makes you crazy. Trust me-" She held up her hand and sighed. "You want an answer before this drags on any longer."

An answer? What was she talking about. After she had stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek before turning tail and heading to bed, Sam realized that she not only wanted him to tell Gabriel about his feelings, but ask for them in return.

That wasn't anything less than terrifying.

How could she ask that of him? It was only a month, after all. And it wasn't his fault he fell in love easy. Gabriel didn't _have_ to love him. As long as he didn't leave him, was that really so bad?

Before he knew what he was doing, Sam approached Gabriel, who was now standing by the window with a mug of hot chocolate, and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Oh- hey, kiddo." Gabriel turned to look at him but must have noticed the troubled expression on Sam's face. "Everything okay in Sam-land?"

The gentle tone of his voice sent shivers down Sam's spine and damn it he hated what Gabriel could do to him just by talking and he swore he would be dead by the next week if he kept up the sweet talk.

Sam cleared his throat and forced a smile. Anxiety was building, fast. Worries started to cloud his head and he had almost drifted out completely if it hadn't been for Gabriel's sweet voice pulling him back to earth.

"Hey, sweetheart, you alright?" Gabriel lifted his hand to cup Sam's face and when Sam saw how worried he looked, he felt instantly guilty.

"Yeah, Gabey, I'm alright." A genuine chuckle escaped Sam's throat and he leaned down to peck Gabriel on his cold nose. "So, there's a lake a few minutes from here. I know it's cold but I thought since we keep blankets in your car we could maybe just hang out there for a bit." Sam paused and cleared his throat. "I'm not, you know, really tired."

Gabriel gave him a funny look, making Sam uncomfortable, but it broke into a smile when he nodded. "What are we waiting for?"

Gabe drove his car from the Harvelle house to the lake five minutes down the road. They didn't speak the entire ride, but it was a comfortable, knowing silence. When they had finally reached their destination, Sam popped open the trunk of the station wagon and piled eagerly in.

Gabriel took his time, turning the car off, stretching as if they had just been for an hour ride. Sam grumbled impatiently, and Gabriel laughed at him when he clambered in.

"Damn, Sammy, I hate when you get all romantic on me." He said in a soft voice when he finally settled himself down in Sam's arms on top of the blankets Gabe pelt piled in the back of his car.

Sam scoffed at him. "It's not my fault you have such a romantic car."

"Hey, don't call my boy romantic." Gabe tried to sound annoyed, petting whatever part of the car he could currently reach. Sam chuckled deep in his throat. He couldn't tell if Gabriel was mocking Dean, but if he was, it wasn't the worst impression in the world. Everyone knew that Dean was in love with that damn car.

"So, you and Cas seem to be getting along." Sam said after a few minutes. He had lied previously- he definitely was a little bit tired. Talking should wake him up, though, and he sat up to engage Gabriel in conversation.

"Yeah, he's weird but I guess I can't hate him as much as I hate everyone else. I mean, he did leave, you know?" Sam nodded and pressed his lips to Gabriel's hair.

"So, I have to ask- Adam. You mentioned him before. Your half-brother?" Gabriel paused when he felt Sam stiffen uncomfortably beneath him. This clearly wasn't something Sam was entirely comfortable talking about, but Gabriel liked to push. "Why isn't he around, again?"

Sam didn't reply. He stayed silent for a few minutes. The answer was right on his tongue, and he could taste the harsh bitterness of it. It was a mix of guilt and hypocrisy and he didn't want Gabriel to get angry with him.

"He hates us." Sam finally muttered quietly. "And I guess Dean and I were jealous of him, because Dad spent more time with him than he did with us."

It was Gabriel's turn to stay silent now as he mulled over Sam's answer. Sam readied himself for Gabriel's sharp retort but it never came. He highly suspected that Gabriel would chew him out for griping about _his_ daddy issues when Gabe's were clearly much worse.

"I'm sorry, babe. But hey, now we both have a huge family that pretty much rocks, right?" A strange warmth filled up in Sam's chest with Gabriel's words. The smaller man was curled up halfway on Sam's body, with his chin resting on his hands that rested in turn on Sam's chest.

It was difficult for Sam to form words. His eyes were just glued to Gabriel and he traced every single detail that he loved about him in the curve of his face. That self-righteous smirk, the hair that never seemed to stay in one place, his odd looking nose that seemed sometimes too big for his whole damn face but other times seemed smaller than normal, depending on the angle.

"Sammy-boy, you're looking at me funny." Gabriel's brows furrowed, and his voice once again brought Sam down from wherever he had been previously.

All of a sudden, Sam's entire body felt weak and when he tried to lift Gabe closer to him, he faltered. Thankfully, Gabriel wanted to be closer too, so he straddled Sam's lap and pressed his forehead to the curve of Sam's neck.

There was no time like that very moment for Sam to tell him.

God, this could end very, very bad…

"Gabriel, look at me, please." Sam guided Gabriel by his chin towards his face. They were barely an inch away from one another now. He was afraid that Gabe would feel his rapid heartbeat under his sweater.

"I love you."

Gabe was expressionless for a while. _I swear to God I'm about to have a heart attack_. Sam thought to himself when he could hear his heart in his ears. Gabriel didn't seem to notice.

Finally, after staring at him for what seemed like years, Gabriel cracked a smile and chuckled awkwardly.

"Aw, come on, Sammy." _Great,_ Sam thought. _He's trying to change the subject_. Gabriel continued, but didn't peel himself away from Sam's body. "You can't just start taking home strays like little ol' me. Big bro Dean-o might have a conniption."

This was not as amusing for Sam as it was for Gabriel. Instead of giving up altogether, Sam figured he had one more shot at this. If Gabriel didn't love him yet, that's fine. But there was always hope.

"I love you. I really, actually love you."

This time there was something on Gabe's face that told Sam he had picked the best possible moment to let his feelings be known.

Sam wrapped his arms around Gabe's waist, in turn, Gabriel twined his arms around Sam's neck. They were nose to nose, and their breath came out in whisps of steam, proving just how cold it was. But neither Sam nor Gabe could feel the chill of winter gnawing at their bones.

"I love you, too." Gabriel whispered against Sam's lips and if that wasn't as soppy as it got, Gabe didn't know what was. He no longer cared. All that mattered was him and Sam, in the back of his station wagon on the last night of Christmas, together, like this, for as long as possible.

_And so it goes, and so it goes._

_And you're the only one who knows_


End file.
